


Something Like Happiness

by Cyan (ShouMarufuji)



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, WAHEY CHECK ME OUT RETAGGING THIS
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2018-08-10 11:07:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 41,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7842487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShouMarufuji/pseuds/Cyan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Seto and Katsuya hated each other, that much was obvious. They ignored each other where possible, and while it was easier said than done somedays, they managed. Though, how do you avoid someone when you start living in a rather small apartment with them?</p><p>(While this is AU, it does keep in mind canon elements, with some changes to the plot.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Alright so I haven't written fic in something like 2 years. Forgive my rustiness. I won't have an update schedule, since I work. Sorry if this is rehashing canon a bit, but I feel like I needed to get the changes in canon pretty clear, since this is an AU.

Through Seto’s childhood, people came and went. His father’s servants didn’t stay for long, and people from school would come and go. There was one constant in his life, one that he wished was not there - Katsuya Jonouchi.

He irritated Seto to no end. He was so cheerful that it ground on his every nerve. He made no effort in school. He always looked like he had just rolled out of bed, even from a young age. Even before his bully phase, Seto just wanted to choke the life out of Katsuya. But the feeling was mutual. Seto was prissy and cold, caring more about his grades and his image than about others. Those two would never get along. If those two were engaged in conversation, it was better to leave them to it.

Seto would always start it. It was like there was a bubble around him and, as soon as Katsuya crossed the threshold, he popped the bubble holding him back. Seto would throw a spiteful comment, and Katsuya couldn’t help but bark one back back. Then Seto would so much as look at him wrong, and Katsuya would have him by the collar, snarling.

More than once, Katsuya had punched Seto. Seto knew it wasn't undeserved. He wasn’t afraid to hit back, however. Their physical arguments only lasted for a year, after they had first met. Teachers would sit them at other ends of the classroom, knowing what they were like together.

As they grew older, Seto watched Katsuya get himself into trouble. A part of him felt bad for not helping, but at the same time, it wasn’t like they were best friends, either. Or friends. Even if he tried to help, it would have only been thrown back in his face. He grimaced at the thought. He didn’t want what little kindness he showed to be in vain.

Thankfully, Katsuya eventually made new, decent friends. Seto stayed alone. He didn’t have time for friends, nor did he want them. All he needed in his life was Mokuba. He was the whole reason Seto worked as hard as he did. Maybe he was a little bitter that Katsuya could have a normal life. Why could someone that stupid have so much luck? He probably went home to a loving family, greeted by love.

When Seto went home, books and his tutor would be waiting for him, her arms crossed. No matter what time he arrived, she would always act as though he was late. He kept his chin up, and would apologise for taking so long, despite asking the driver to drive as fast as possible. She would never respond, however, instead leading him to the study.

He would be forced to sit there, reading book after book, writing essay after essay, until his eyes could barely stay open. Only then would he be released from his chains. In his childhood, he was naïve enough to try to ask for a break, which earnt him a swift slap. He soon learned it was futile to ask. His teenage self thanked his childhood self. The punishment would have only gotten worse.

Sometimes, hard work simply wasn’t enough. Seto had spent the night studying, reading notes and extensive essays over and over again before school. He had grown so used to sleepless nights that it hardly affected him anymore. His teacher placed his graded paper on his desk. It was a B. His blood ran cold. He wouldn’t be able to explain that, not when he had worked so hard.

Unfortunately for him, Katsuya had seen his grade. He snatched the piece of paper and held it up in the air with a grin.

“Even the mighty fall,” he tutted.

“At least I can manage a B. But in your case, here’s a little bit of advice; anyone can stoop down and pick up nothing,” Seto said, calmly yanking the paper back. He had to keep himself calm. He couldn’t let this idiot see him shaking.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly.”

Yugi pulled Katsuya back into the group. At least that kid had some sort of sense. Shame he couldn’t say the same about his friend. Katsuya was the least of Seto's troubles.

Seto didn’t want to go home, but running away would have only made it worse. He could face it like an adult, even though he was only sixteen. He filed away the piece of paper into his bag, ready to show his father, knowing he already knew. There we no use hiding from him.

The moment he walked into the house he knew. Gozaburo was waiting, his eyes burning into his being. Seto’s breath was caught in his throat. It was only a B. It  _ shouldn’t _ have been so much of a big deal. He scanned around for Mokuba first, but he was nowhere in sight. He was most likely confined to his room for now, and not told why. Seto didn't know if the thought comforted him or made it so much worse.

Gozaburo grabbed Seto by the wrist and pulled him into his office, slamming the door behind him. He already couldn’t breathe. Gozaburo grabbed him by the throat, pinning him against the wall. He didn’t bother to struggle anymore. His energy was used to breathing. As long as it was just him, and not Mokuba, it was fine.

Except no, it really wasn’t fine.

“Do you think your education is a  _ joke _ , Seto?!” Seto felt tears prickling. He could hardly breathe. He still tried to shake his head. “No? Then why are you allowing your grades to slip?”

Even if Seto could speak, he had no answer. He had tried to work as hard as he could. He didn’t understand what had happened, either. If it was up to him… Finally, Gozaburo released him, allowing him to drop to the floor. Seto coughed for what felt like an eternity, holding his throat. As long as it wasn’t Mokuba, he needed to remind himself. That was why he didn’t fight back. He would be a lightning rod for as long as it took before he got his revenge. Just as long as Mokuba was okay.

“Get out of my sight. From now on, you don’t get dinner until you’re done studying. No more food in the study. And I’m revoking your weekends. You’re retaking that test, and you won’t stop retaking it until you get 100%.”

Seto rose to his feet and left his father’s office, taking in a deep breath. He wiped his eyes quickly, just in time for Mokuba to come barrelling around the corner. He was all smiles to see his big brother. That was enough to give him strength.

The smile faded when Mokuba could sense something was wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint what. Mokuba already knew not to ask, he would not receive an answer. Instead, he gave Seto a quick hug, before dashing off. Seto needed to get back to work, and Mokuba didn’t want to get him into trouble. He seemed like he was in enough trouble as it was.

Seto hid into his room to get changed quickly. It was hot, but it seemed like he would need to put on his black turtleneck. Looking at it made his stomach knot. But it wouldn’t be long before the bruises would show, and he couldn’t explain it to Mokuba. He would attempt something drastic, and Seto couldn’t let him get involved. He needed to protect him for as long as he could.

The worst part was Gozaburo, being some bigshot politician, wanted to seem like some sort of ‘man of the people’. That was why he had adopted Seto and Mokuba, it was why he donated to charities, and it was why he was often in the news with his philanthropy. Nothing more than an act to get more votes. Seto knew the truth. The staff knew the truth. But nothing could have been done about it.

From his father came Seto’s dream. He wanted to make the world a better place - he would create his own game company. There was no room in the world for politics. It may have been a pipe dream, but he would make it work somehow. He had already started making his own augmented reality platforms. Soon enough, he could take out the dents, and make enough money for him and Mokuba to live happily ever after.

Soon enough, they would be free.

\--

Katsuya’s life wasn’t easy, either. He resented Seto. That guy had everything handed to him on a silver platter, yet went pale when faced with a B. Katsuya would have killed him for that B. He wasn’t meant to be smart, but he was working on it. He didn’t want to be the same lowlife as his father.

He spent a lot of time out of the house – as much as possible, really – spending time with Yugi, or helping out at his grandpa’s shop. Once in a while, if he had the spare cash, he would attempt duel tournaments. With Yugi’s much-needed help, he got through the tournaments pretty well, often making it to third or second place. Sometimes, luck was on his side and he won. On those days, he was so happy he could have cried.

His winnings were stashed away in Yugi’s room. He didn’t trust his father, his father’s friends or his neighbours not to steal it. He worked hard for that money. That was going to help him get to university, if he could get his grades up. Thankfully, Yugi was more than happy to help with that, too.

Sugoroku was more than happy to let Katsuya help at the store, and to pay him as well, even though it wasn’t much. Katsuya occasionly helped thow small tournaments for various games to attract crowds. Unlike the poor old man, he had the energy to run these things. Plus, it gave him a chance to test out his own duellist strategies. He enjoyed it, and the money was a bonus.

Katsuya wouldn’t go home until he was  _ sent _ home. Sometimes, Sugoroku would let him sleep over, but not too often. The old man had bills to pay, and Katsuya simply ate too much. He just didn’t want to go home. But soon enough, he would be free from that hell. He could live his own life, without fear of getting stabbed each time he left the house. He could come home without worrying that a bottle would be thrown at him.

For the rest of his school life, he would work as hard as he could. Katsuya decided to keep his grades to himself, though. He didn’t want to seem like a goody two-shoes to anyone but Yugi. At least his grades were climbing up. He couldn’t complain about that. He would come out of this stronger, and he would show people like Seto that being adopted into money was nothing. Katsuya could become great on his own terms.

He would lie on his barely-a-bed, staring up at the slowly sinking ceiling, thinking to himself. The best was yet to come. He only had a couple of years left in high school. He could leave Domino City behind. He would smile every time he remembered that. He was getting closer.

\--

On sleepless nights, Seto would lie in his too-comfortable bed, wrapped in thick blankets, staring at the ceiling. It was a habit he had developed. If he couldn’t be open and honest with people, he could be open and honest in his own room, and in his mind. There was a good reason only Mokuba was allowed to set foot inside.

It was the only thing that helped him sleep that night, even if for only a couple of hours. He would mull over the events of the day, or plan out new ideas for his future business. He would also think about himself as a person.

He was too soft, and he knew it. The business world was cruel. He wondered if he was only so soft because, in his own mind, he was never good enough. Seto was only a teenager. He still had time to harden. He could eradicate the weakness in him, and replace it for the strong.

This habit started from when he was young, and became something he depended on to be able to sleep. A self-assessment, in which he was mostly critical. It would help him grow and be stronger. Just as Gozaburo said. He shook off that thought every time. He didn’t want to be reminded of that man, parading around as if he was his biological father.

It sickened him.

\--

It felt like weeks before high school was over. But on the day of his graduation, Seto couldn’t believe it. He wanted to laugh, but it would have seemed out of place. With his grades, there was no way his university would try to reject him. He settled for a smirk. Of course he was going to be smug. It wouldn’t be much longer until he could save Mokuba, too. Everything was coming together nicely.

In the corner of his eye, he could see Katsuya crying on Yugi’s shoulder, with his friends rallied around him. Ugh, the geek patrol acting like a cheer squad. Despite better judgement, he approached.

“What’s wrong, Jonouchi? Didn’t pass?”

It could have almost passed as sincere, if Katsuya was an idiot and had no idea who Seto Kaiba was. Instead, he pulled away from Yugi with a big, disgusting snort, and grinned.

“Actually, you pompous-ass jerk, I actually passed.  _ And _ , in case you didn’t know, this means I’m going to university.”

“As long as you keep away from me, I don’t care,” Seto shrugged.

“That’s the plan.”

It was as good a goodbye as those two were going to get from each other. Seto didn’t care what he was going to university for, but he was a little happy for him. The idiot had his head screwed on. He smiled to himself.

As long as he was happy, and stayed away from Seto, he didn’t care what happened to Katsuya.


	2. Chapter 2

“Mr Kaiba.” The male voice caught his attention. “The car is ready for you.”

Seto looked at the clock. It was already time to go. He had spent his morning watching television with Mokuba, who looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. For a child who was twelve, he certainly liked to act as if he was eight, sometimes. To Seto, it was a good sign. He hadn’t lost his innocence just yet. Mokuba pulled him into a tight hug, with no chance of escape.

“You’d better have room for me to come over whenever I want, Seto,” he said. Seto couldn’t help but smile, ruffling his hair gently.

“You’re welcome as often as you want,” he assured the younger Kaiba.

Mokuba refused to let go. He nestled his face into Seto’s chest with a sigh. They had never really been apart before, not for long. They had always stuck together. But it wasn’t like it was forever. They could see each other all the time, but they just wouldn’t live together. The poor boy had figuratively glued himself to his brother.

But it was time to go. Gently, Seto peeled away his arms, before getting up. He was going for both of them, to give them a better life. If he could, he would have taken Mokuba with him, but Gozaburo would not allow this. He needed control of at least one of them. Seto was thankful that he showed no interest in Mokuba. Hopefully, it would remain that way.

With Mokuba in tow, he walked to the front door, where Gozaburo stood, waiting. Seto’s blood ran cold, but he didn’t let it show. He never did. His eyes hardened when looking at his father for a brief moment, before willing himself to look relaxed.

“You’re welcome home whenever. I expect you’ll be home next weekend, before you’ll be too busy,” Gozaburo said.

That was a threat. Seto wasn’t stupid. “I’ll be back as often as I can, and I hope Mokuba can come and visit, as well.”

“If your grades and his grades meet expectations, he can.” Though, Gozaburo didn’t seem too pleased by this demand. It didn’t matter to Seto, not when the man was never happy.

They stood in front of each other, staring each other down. Seto’s heart raced in his chest, but he still did not falter. Gozaburo probably expected some form of affection. He should take the fact he was still standing as compliment enough. Giving Mokuba one final, quick hug, he left the mansion and followed the driver to the car. Just a few days before he would have to come back. It made his skin crawl.

\--

Katsuya struggled to stay awake. He held his backpack tightly. He didn’t have much in there; a few outfits, socks and boxers, and his clunky old laptop. No one would steal his stuff, not when it was worthless to everyone else. To him, however, it meant the world. He rubbed his eyes and readjusted himself on the train.

He needed to wake up. He felt like he had been on this train for days, but it had only been an hour or so. Katsuya didn’t sleep that night, he was far too excited to get out of the house. With the relief washing over him, it was lulling him to sleep, the stress melting away. But it was knocking him out. Come on, Katsuya, focus.

At university, he could reinvent himself. Katsuya could be one of those nerds he was always jealous of, if he really pushed himself. He hoped whoever he lived with was going to be a nerd too. They could help him push himself into a better person. But he didn’t want to change too much. He could surround himself with good people, and shed the bad parts of himself.

He could get along with anyone, except Seto Kaiba, or someone else exactly like him. Stuck-up, pompous people needed to be punched in the face, but Katsuya didn’t want to administer beatings like that anymore. He didn’t need any of that in his life anymore. He was going to be himself, but better.

\--

It seemed like someone was already home when Seto arrived. A pair of worn-out shoes were by the front door, but one of the bedroom doors were closed, and he could hear soft snoring from behind it. He would leave them alone until they decided to emerge.  _ If _ they decided to emerge. His things were put into his room, with the aid of his driver, before he left.

Seto decided to unpack the kitchen things first, before getting started on his room. He could get rid of those boxes easier. He didn’t have much compared to the china and cutlery at home but enough for about three people, even though he would only be living with one other person. He wasn’t trying to be quiet while putting things away. He really didn’t care.

Katsuya had crashed on arrival. He had woken up when a cupboard door slammed quite loudly. He couldn’t assume he was living with an asshole just yet. Everyone made mistakes. With a yawn, he got up and left his room. He followed the sound into the kitchen. Right as he was about to say something, he stopped, mouth hanging open.

Seto stared back. He didn’t know what to say. In his mind, he was hoping it was a joke, or some sort of fever dream. But this was very real. Katsuya was in his house. The one person he did  _ not _ want to see in his damn house. He sucked in his breath, putting down the glass that was in his hand. He could keep calm about this.

“Jonouchi,” he looked him in the eyes, scowling “what are you doing in my house?”

“Noooo, no no no  _ no _ ! What are  _ you _ doing in  _ my _ house?”

“I live here.”

Both of their fears were confirmed at once. “So do I.”

They both went silent again. What was Katsuya supposed to do? Drag him by the collar and give him the bum’s rush? He didn’t want to be that guy anymore, but with Seto, it was hard not to be that guy. His face made something in his blood rush. His attitude made him so easy to punch. Fuck. This.

He wasn’t that guy anymore. He refused to be that guy. Katsuya had only just gotten here, and he wasn’t about to get into a world of trouble just because he had seen Seto Kaiba. Instead, he turned on his heels to get out and put his shoes on and left, slamming the door behind him. He ran downstairs and left the apartment building.

The moment the air hit his face, he couldn’t help but shout. The sound echoed through the streets. He couldn’t believe this was happening. This couldn’t have been happening. Dizzy, he kept running, hoping that everything would make sense soon enough.

It wasn’t fair. Seto was supposed to go to some big university, where you had to staple a cheque for five hundred million yen before your application could be even considered. What was he doing at the same university Katsuya was attending? What was he doing in his house? He wanted to change himself, to live his life out of the past. He couldn't with Seto there.

Katsuya just needed to calm down. Once he was calm, he could go home. In the meantime, he could just start to learn where he was.

With Katsuya gone, Seto had poured himself a glass of water. He couldn’t believe this. Trash like that, living with him. He was glad he was gone, though. It only would have caused a massive argument, and to be honest, he wasn’t sure he was feeling it. He couldn’t be bothered to fight with Katsuya anymore. He had better things to so.

After drinking his water, he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. This could work. They knew each other, meaning Seto didn’t have to get to know someone, only for them to be shocked at how much of a rude person he is. Plus, he wouldn’t be treated as ‘the son of Gozaburo Kaiba’, someone who was untouchable. They were adults now. Katsuya surely matured over the summer. If he could make an effort, then…

No. Seto would never make an effort for that dog.

\--

Once he had calmed down – and found his way back – Katsuya came home. He had left at midday, and came home at seven in the evening. He didn’t even think he had gone that far. He would need to keep himself stable. He wasn’t going to snap today. He would just have to not look at Seto, and he could build himself up from there.

Thankfully, Seto was already in the kitchen, so Katsuya didn’t have to see him. He plonked himself down on one of the two small couches and turned the television on. He would just have to wait to get some food. It wasn’t like he was all that hungry just yet, anyway. Katsuya had to admit, he wasn’t looking forward to his boring, cheap dinner.

Seto had made too much. Portion sizes weren’t his thing; he never used to cook. Using his laptop, he could look up some recipes, but it wasn’t the same as the trained chefs at home. It was more satisfying to make your own, anyway. Or so he heard.

It only took one bite for Seto to realise that phrase was absolute  _ nonsense _ . He could master anything, but cooking was one thing he was going to struggle with. The problem was what to do with the rest of the food. He didn’t want to throw it away, but heaven knows Seto did not want to touch that. He had an idea.

“There’s food on the table if you want it. Throw it away if you don’t. I made too much, and I don’t want it to go to waste,” Seto said.

Ooh! Free food! Hey, it was probably some sort of peace offering, and Katsuya wasn’t exactly going to turn down free food. With a rushed ‘thanks’, he barged by Seto and walked into the kitchen. The plate didn’t look appetising. To be fair, just because it looked like dog crap, didn’t mean it tasted like dog crap.

Katsuya took a bite out of the food, and quickly realised why Seto didn’t want to eat it. It wasn’t poisoned, but the taste alone made him wish he was. Then again, it wasn’t like he could do much better. And it kind of beat his two options;  _ ramen en paquet _ or  _ ramen en boîte _ . At least it was variety, even if it was kind of like dog food. He finished it quickly, before cleaning up his plate.

“Thanks again, Kaiba,” Katsuya said, plonking back down.

“Don’t mention it.” He didn’t even bother looking up from his laptop.

Which really meant “why are you talking to me?”, but Seto bit his tongue. A volatile environment all the time wasn’t going to be good for studying, not for either of them. Katsuya would need all the focus he could get, anyway. Seto could just ignore him.

“Y’know, we’ve gotta go in for our induction on Monday, right?” Katsuya asked. Oh God, don’t let him finish that thought the way Seto thought he was going to. “Why don’t we go together?”

Of course he offered that. “I can think of plenty of reasons why we shouldn’t,” Seto replied.

“I’m really trying to be friendly here.”

“I don’t want to be friends, Jonouchi. I didn’t come here for that.” Seto sighed. “But if it makes you stop talking, I’ll go with you. I’m not being held responsible for you being late.”

That surprised Katsuya. A spark of patience! He was expecting to be told a swift ‘fuck you’ and for it to be left at that. Seto was probably scared of being lost. Well, he had every right to be afraid, because that was the exact reason Katsuya wanted to go with him. He hadn’t managed to find the university while on his little tour, despite his best efforts.

Saying that, it probably meant he would have to get up at six for an induction that started at nine. If it meant knowing where he was, he didn’t mins too much. He got up and left, deciding to call Yugi before going to bed. Thankfully, he was still awake. Calling him was quite relaxing. It may have only been a quick hello, but it did make him feel better.

“Oh, hey, you won’t believe this…guess who I live with. You’ll never guess,” Katsuya said, trying not to sound as mad as he was.

Yugi thought about it for a minute but, without an answer that wasn’t obvious, he had to give in. “Who?”

“Kaiba. I swear, I’m living with Seto Kaiba.”

Yugi went silent for what felt like eternity. Katsuya could hear the gears turning in Yugi’s head.

“Does that mean you—“

“Don’t be weird, it’s not like  _ that _ ! It’s randomly assigned. I think.”

Yugi's thought made him shudder. Katsuya and Seto? They never got along, it would have never worked. One of them would always start it. But this could have been the year they would finally tolerate being in the same room together. They would have to get used to it, or else the next year would have been pure hell.

\--

“Hurry up.” Seto was blunt, already sick of Katsuya’s dawdling.

“I’m trying! D’you think I like being lost in Nowheresville with you? I can tell you, I’ve got better things to do than go round and round in circles,” Katsuya said, rolling his eyes.

They had been walking for an hour. They both knew the university was ten minutes away. It wasn’t like they could even follow a hoard of students, because no one would be going yet. They were just leading each other into a loop, and they were both sick of it.

Seto forced him to stop. He checked on his phone and, finally, they had a path to follow. He grabbed his idiot roommate by the arm and walked, dragging him along. He wasn’t going to be held responsible for him, even though he was now a big boy, who could look after himself. Katsuya tugged his arm free, before looking at Seto.

“Okay, I get it. But you know, you don’t need an excuse to touch me,” he joked. Seto stopped again, folding his arms.

“If you’re not careful, I will shove you into a bush and  _ leave you _ there to find the way yourself,” Seto spat, walking again.

Jeez. Fine. Seto could be such a boring hardass. Well, Katsuya was sort of asking for it. He shrugged it off and kept walking, following behind as closely as he could manage. He was taller, so it was easier for him to storm off ahead. Maybe he was trying to abandon him. The thought alone made Katsuya laugh, but when he did, Seto glared at him. He had run out of patience for the day.

It was easy to tell when they had arrived. The building was huge, with big windows. Katsuya hadn’t seen anything like it, but Seto seemed unfazed by it. Trust the rich boy to be used to big things. There were already a couple of people hovering about, but they were mostly people trying to guide the new students to where they needed to go, handing out maps and freebies. Katsuya graciously accepted the freebies, while Seto grabbed a map.

Without a word, Seto helped Katsuya get to where he needed to go. He was pretty thankful, actually. Seto was being mildly pleasant this morning. He may have been too tired to argue, but Katsuya sure as hell wasn’t going to jinx this. Seto Kaiba being a decent person was a rare sight.

They reached an elevator, and Seto stopped, pressing the button. He turned to Katsuya.

“You'll want the fourth floor, and it looks like it’s the first room out of the elevator,” Seto instructed. Surely he could manage that much.

“Huh?” Katsuya blinked. “You’re not coming?”

“No. I have to go to the other side of the building. All the new students aren’t just going to meet up in a big room.” Seto rolled his eyes at the stupid question. “Or is this what you want?” He ruffled Katsuya’s hair until it was a mess. “Have a great day at school, you big baby.”

So much for Seto being friendly. “Fuck off, Kaiba. It doesn’t hurt to be a nice person sometimes, you know.”

Seto abandoned him, and it was just in time too, because Katsuya knew he was going red. He spent so long looking nice, only for an asshole to ruin it for him. It was like decency was too much to ask of him. He got into the elevator, and pressed the fourth button, hoping Seto was right. He shouldn’t rely on him. Seto was probably leading him into a trap.

Katsuya was wrong. The induction went without incidents, and he was actually in the right room, making it a double bonus. He would have to thank Seto later, but it wasn’t like he would accept the thanks, anyway. He seemed to be making a slight effort, which was more than Katsuya would have ever asked for.

If they could go the rest of the year like this, life wouldn’t be so difficult. That was all Katsuya was going to ask for.


	3. Chapter 3

They had a week before class started. For Seto, it meant a few days of peace before having to see his father for a couple of days. He would rather spend his weekend with nothing but Katsuya, but he didn’t want to leave Mokuba by himself with Gozaburo for too long. Seto would never trust Gozaburo, especially not with his most important person.

Seto was stressed enough over the idea of the visit. He refused to leave his room, unless it was necessary. He couldn’t stand to see Katsuya. He would cook dinner for both of them, and that was the extent of it. They barely said hello to each other. Then again, neither of them really enjoyed the arrangement, so this was for the best. Neither of them could expect the other one to be more than begrudgingly polite.

Katsuya wasn’t sure what he expected from Seto. A bit more of a response, really. A bit less of a cold shoulder, maybe. That was more of a hope than an expectation, though. Bah, it was for the best that they didn’t speak, anyway. Katsuya could get behind that. He stayed in the living room regardless, comfortable enough talking to his friends via his barely functional laptop. To his amusement, he found out that Seto was annoyed by the Discord noises. More power to Katsuya.

By Friday, Katsuya came home from job hunting to find a suitcase by the door. Seto was patiently waiting on the couch, book in hand. He didn’t even bother to look up at Katsuya. Katsuya paused, mouth slightly open, not sure where to even start.

“You’re leaving?” he blurted out before he could really think about it. Seto glanced behind him.

“For the weekend, yes. My father insisted.” More like threatened.

Damn. There went Katsuya’s hopes for a better, nicer roommate. Even if he could change, he would have somehow gotten a roommate worse than Seto anyway. Was there even anything worse? He shook off the thought.

“Don’t eat everything.”

Seto was allowing him food? That surprised Katsuya. Something was off with him, but Katsuya couldn’t figure out what it was. Seto should have been happy to go home, it got him a way from Katsuya. But the look on his face said otherwise. It was likely he was simply sick. Katsuya didn’t push him.

“My driver is almost here,” Seto said, standing up. “Don’t burn the house down, either.”

Before Katsuya could respond, his roommate was out the door with his suitcase. Fucking Seto Kaiba. Who did he think he was, anyway? He wasn’t exactly a master chef. He could barely cook as it was. If he was just trying to irritate Katsuya, then it worked for sure. He bristled and plonked down on the couch. One day, that couch was sure to break with how he threw himself onto it constantly.

They could both already tell, this was going to be a long, arduous year.

\--

“Seto!”

He heard it before he could see it. The excitable twelve-year-old boy threw himself at Seto full-force, almost toppling both of them. It made Seto smile for a moment. He bent down and offered Mokuba a real hug, who was more than happy to oblige. He was like a puppy. It had only been a few days, yet they had missed each other so much. Seto hoped Mokuba was only clingy because he had missed him.

Luckily, Gozaburo was too busy to greet Seto. The less Seto could see of him this weekend, the better. Seto stood no chance of settling down, however, as Mokuba was already dragging him to his room, blabbering about the new friends he had made in his class. It seemed like he was stepping out of his big brother’s shadow. Soon enough, he would be a young man. That was a scary thought. He wanted Mokuba to be his little brother forever. To Seto, he was growing up too quickly.

Seto didn’t mind listening, but he kept an ear out for Gozaburo still. He couldn’t help but be on his guard. It did mean he wasn’t listening too intently, though Mokuba didn't seem to notice. He kept inspecting Mokuba while he wasn’t paying attention. He didn’t seem hurt, but he couldn’t go poking and prodding without permission. For now, Seto would have to assume Mokuba was safe. He couldn't alert Mokuba that something was wrong.

No matter what, Mokuba was always a light in Seto's life. Seto needed that light to keep him stable. It both guided him to where he needed to be, and comforted Seto in darker times. Even now, something about Mokuba made him feel better about being in this house.

Mokuba seemed happy enough, but it was hard to be sure if his happiness was genuine. He was always so cheerful, but the happiest people are often the saddest. He hated the thought that his brother was unhappy. Mokuba’s personality was everything Seto’s wasn’t. Seeing the world through his eyes would have been a lot better.

That evening, Gozaburo joined the two brothers for dinner. It had been a few days, and Seto froze momentarily upon seeing the man for the first time that day. Seto was already growing unused to his father. He could not show weakness. He stowed away his nerves, replacing it for apathy. Mokuba frowned at both of them, sensing the tension already. He wasn’t stupid.

“It’s good to see you again, Seto,” his father said, raising a glass to his son.

He bit his tongue before replying. “I’m happy to be home.”

A good enough answer. Gozaburo looked back down at his food, poking at his dinner with his fork.

“I expect nothing but greatness from you. Don’t forget that.” Another threat.

“I have no intention of letting myself down.”

Gozaburo frowned at him. Mistake. Seto’s instinct was to aggravate as a defence mechanism. None of them said anything. He had completely lost his appetite, and instead, put his cutlery down. He took a sip of water, unable to look at his father, or at Mokuba. What was he thinking? Seto wasn’t thinking.

After dinner, Seto was called into Gozaburo’s office. Though he gulped down his fear, his face was passive. It was easier that way. As soon as he entered, the door was closed and locked behind him.

\--

Seto went straight to his room as quickly as he could without drawing attention and closed the door behind him. Thankfully, Mokuba didn’t see him. He couldn’t explain the marks on his neck or on his arm. He pulled a black sweater over him. It always felt so scratchy, uncomfortable, too hot. But he didn’t take it off.

He plonked himself down on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, focusing on the intricate shapes of the plaster above. How much more of this would he have to put up with? With any luck, Gozaburo would die soon. A day Seto prayed for constantly. He would not allow himself to get upset. He was certain every room in the house had surveillance, anyway. He would not let that man win by seeing him hurt.

It was only for a couple of days. Classes would start soon. He could be home before he knew it, but that didn’t help him relax. When Gozaburo died, that would be the start of Seto’s healing process.

\--

Katsuya wasn’t home when Seto arrived. He figured his roommate was trying to look for a job, as he had mentioned a few days ago. Not like anyone would hire street trash like him, but at least he was trying. Supporting him wasn’t a problem; food money was mere peanuts to Seto. He wasn’t going to tell him that, though. It was amusing watching Katsuya squirm, listening to him insist he would pay him back for everything through gritted teeth. It was obvious he was frustrated with himself for not being able to provide himself with an adequate living. It was both sad, yet also amusing.

Seto had time to unpack in peace. He still wore the thick, scratchy sweater. He felt like he had become glued to it. Katsuya had kept the small apartment far too warm for Seto’s liking. He would have to keep the damn sweater on, as well, and he was already sweating. Dammit. He opened the window in his room and turned off the radiator, enjoying the fresh breeze against his face.

By the time he had unpacked, Katsuya had already come home, flopped onto the couch. He was dressed in his best clothes, eyes covered by his elbow. He did not move, even when Seto opened the door. When he found his mess of a roommate, he frowned down at him, crossing his arms. Katsuya groaned.

“Don’t,” he grumbled. “no calls yet. I’m getting nowhere at this rate. Don’t nag me.”

Seto could have been mean about it and made fun of how unemployable he was, but he deemed it too easy. He had no plans to, anyway. But now it was too tempting.

“Then why are you at home, resting? Get back out there, Jonouchi. Employers don’t like lazy people.”

“I’ve been up for hours. I don’t even think I’ve eaten yet. Seriously, I’m hungry, and sick of walking. Ugh…” Katsuya rolled over. “I need food… I’m gonna die.” Seto rolled his eyes.

“I’ll make dinner. Stop whining,” he said before abandoning him.

“That wasn’t a hint. Stop doing shit for me,” Katsuya replied weakly. He appreciated it, but he wouldn't tell Seto that.

Once done with cooking, Seto wordlessly presented Katsuya with a bowl, before leaving him again. He slowly rose up from the couch. Well, it wasn’t a chef’s cooking, but Seto was starting to get better at cooking, little by little. The presentation left much to be desired, but it wasn’t bad. Food was food, at the end of the day.

\--

Katsuya wasn’t going to say they were suddenly best friends, but he felt like they had at least made progress since they had first moved in together. It was only the first couple of days, but they had made some sort of breakthrough. They could stand to be in the same room together without either arguing or getting punched. That definitely counted as progress.

On the other hand, Seto just didn’t care enough to try and fight. Where was the fun in constantly fighting with him? When it was occasional, it was funny to watch him squirm, but when it was daily, it became stale so quickly. He ignored Katsuya when possible. He had no interest in forming a friendship, especially not with Katsuya.

They had come to a good enough compromise in the apartment. Katsuya would clean, and Seto would cook. It worked out pretty well for Katsuya; he didn’t have the money to keep buying food, but Seto did. He was working on getting a job, and had a couple of interviews lined up. Of course the jobs would be crappy, but if it meant getting some income, it didn’t matter to him. He didn’t want to rely on his roommate forever. Especially when that roommate was Seto Kaiba, who would inevitably throw it in his face some say. It wouldn’t be long before he asked for something in return.

Occasionally, they would walk to university together, mostly in silence. If they saw each other in one of the buildings, they would walk back home together, as well. A part of Seto did enjoy the company, but it wasn’t something he was used to, nor did he have any plans to get used to it. It wouldn’t be long before the year was over, and they would have gone their separate ways into different apartments. That would suit him.

Seto could get used to him, like an unwanted ornament, or some tacky artwork on the fridge. Whether he wanted it or not, Katsuya was going to be a constant in his life for a year. There were worse people out there to live with.

Seto mostly stayed in his room, out of the way, while Katsuya enjoyed sprawling out onto one of the couches in the living room. Katsuya was trying to get into his studies, but it was so damn hard. He wasn’t a genius. How was he supposed to understand half of this crap? He groaned a lot, hoping that his noises would help him understand. A supposedly quick required reading took him a whole afternoon just to understand it. Why was he even bothering?

He didn’t want to give up, but university was already so stressful. It had only been a couple of weeks. Why was it so difficult? He didn’t have Yugi to help him anymore. He didn’t know any of his classmates, either. He sat up properly, book in his lap, squinting at the small text. Nope. No more. He was getting a headache. He dropped the book to the floor with a thud, burying his face in his hands. How the hell was he going to survive?

Alerted by the noise, Seto left his room and looked around the corner. Oh. Katsuya was fine, but his book was not. With a roll of his eyes, Seto approached and picked up the book. He wanted to whack Katsuya with it for disrespecting expensive books, especially as he was so poor. Did Katsuya not know how expensive textbooks were?

“If you’re going to make fun of me, I don’t wanna hear it. I’ve got a headache. I hate that book, and everything that’s in it. Seriously, go away,” Katsuya mumbled into his hands.

Seto looked down at him, before putting the book down on the table. “What’s wrong?”

God, he needed to stop acting like he cared. Katsuya didn’t care for it. “What’s your deal, anyway? Acting like you care like this.”

“If you don’t want my help, you only have to say so, Jonouchi. I won’t waste my time anymore,” Seto scoffed.

He turned away, heading to his room. Katsuya shuffled on the couch, before finally getting up. He was gritting his teeth, trying to swallow his pride. He wasn’t going to survive by himself. And it wasn’t like Seto wasn’t trying to be a good person. He was trying harder than Katsuya at that moment, which was unbelievable.

Katsuya sighed, giving in. “Do you know anything about this?”

Seto sat down with him. “I was educated in many things. I’m sure this will be nothing.”

His bragging didn’t help Katsuya, who just rolled his eyes but did not reply. Seto opened the book back up, trying to look for the page they were on. Was this really Katsuya's classwork? It seemed a little too advanced for him.

Katsuya couldn’t get over it. This guy was suddenly being kind to him. Maybe if Seto would help him with some of his work, Katsuya wouldn’t feel bad if he was expected to complete a favour for him.


	4. Chapter 4

Before Seto even opened the door, he could hear whooping and yells from his apartment. Either Katsuya was watching some crap on television, or he was struggling with studying again. With his hand on the door handle, Seto debated whether to enter. He figured he could just ignore Katsuya in his room. No point in going back outside to avoid him; it was a cold day.

As half-predicted, Katsuya was cheering. Arms in the air, with his phone in one hand, he was still whooping. Seto snorted as he closed the door. Still, he had not been acknowledged. He could just slip into his room and...

“Finally! Gettin’ somewhere, here!” Katsuya announced to no one. Seto watched on in wonder. “Can I get a high five in here—?”

He turned around to see Seto staring at him curiously. Though his enthusiasm faltered, his happiness on the inside did not. Then again, Seto was probably unused to the concept of happiness. Without hesitation, Seto walked towards Katsuya, and slapped his hand  _ hard _ against the other man’s. Katsuya winced.

“There you go. Now stop yelling,” Seto said as he went into the kitchen to grab a drink of water.

Katsuya was surprised that Seto had such a strong hit. Not as surprised as he was to receive a high five from him, however. His hand was already going red, his palm throbbing. Shaking his hand, he pouted.

“Spoil sport,” Katsuya huffed. “You’ll be happy to know I’ve got a job, and I start next week.”

Not that Seto particularly cared. “Hopefully, you’re not going into stripping. Otherwise, you will be owing people money, not the other way around.”

Katsuya would like to say he was impressed with that burn, but he was too busy being annoyed by the implication. Like Seto was anything to look at. The only reason girls swooned over him was for the chance at his money. If he was a nobody like Katsuya... Man, there was no point in being bitter about it. Besides, he knew he wasn’t ugly. He could be a stripper if he wanted to. The question was, why was he thinking so hard about it? It always took a while for Katsuya to realise Seto was simply trying to irritate.

Too easy. Seto took a small victory sip of his water, before taking it into his room and shutting himself in. For once, Katsuya had been stunned into silence. Usually, he would bark out insults while Seto blanks him. Being cruel to his roommate was stress relief for Seto. No, it was not healthy, nor was it fair on Katsuya, but he never paused to consider his feelings.

Katsuya didn’t speak to him for the rest of the day. No skin off Seto’s back. He went about the rest of his day in peace, for once. But regardless, he still left his roommate some food. No point in breaking habits. In reality, he had just gotten so used to cooking for him that he had forgotten to halve the portion size. But it seemed cruel to leave him to starve.

When he started his first shift, Katsuya almost immediately regretted getting a job. Yes, he needed the money, but he could have just sponged off Seto for a little longer. Or, that was what the tired part of him coaxed him into thinking. But he forced himself to shrug it off. His shifts were wedged whenever he could fit them in. Whenever he had time at work, he would study, or he would do his homework. It didn’t take long for him to realise it was killing him.

All he needed was to build up a fund. But that was easier said than done. Katsuya would keep pushing through - he had to try and build a better life for himself. If he gave up now, where would he have been? He didn’t want to think like that, because he couldn’t afford to. Maybe once he had built up a bit of money, he could calm down with work.

Often, during shifts, he considered just finding a rich person and marrying them. He could give up and resign to a life of a sugar baby. Then he would wake up from his fantasies and realise this was real life. If he wanted a good life, he would have to work hard for it. Not everyone could be born or adopted or even married married into a rich family. It was in those times he envied Seto. He didn’t have anything serious to worry about.

Seto did have a heart. If Katsuya worked late, there was food made for him. He didn’t know it was out of habit, but he didn’t need to know. He was just glad to come home to a plateful or bowlful of something, before going to pass out in his rock of a bed.

\--

The first paycheque came through, and Katsuya breathed a sigh of relief. A wave of pride washed over him. It was time to celebrate! Poor, unsuspecting Seto had no idea what was about to happen. But he could only guess when Katsuya burst into his room with a wild grin. The boy had personal space issues. Seto wasn’t sure he would ever get used to it.

“I have a door for a reason,” Seto said, while typing on his computer.

The comment went straight over Katsuya’s head. “Wanna go out tonight?”

“Of course, I am always ready for a party,” Seto scowled at him. “No.”

“What?” Katsuya blinked. “I’m not talking about a party, rich boy. I’m talking about getting food. You in? I’m payin’.”

“Desperate to spend time with me?” Seto sounded amused.

Katsuya pulled a face and shuddered. Not an image he wanted of Seto Kaiba. Ever. All he was doing was making an effort to be friends with the guy. No one deserved to be alone, not even like Seto. Besides, the guy had been nice to him – as nice as Seto could be. It was only fair that he paid back the favour.

“Alright, got the picture. I’ll get food alone, then,” Katsuya turned on his heels to leave.

Seto stayed quiet for a moment. He gave a defeated sigh, before finally glancing over at Katsuya. “Where were you thinking of going?”

“Does that mean you’re coming?” He couldn’t help but grin.

“It depends on  _ where _ .”

Seto never ceased to surprise. He was seriously accepting the olive branch that Katsuya was offering. It would come with enough insults to damage Katsuya's ego a little bit, but he was willing to shrug it off. He understood Seto was just like Katsuya used to be. Bitter, and alone. This was what Yugi would have done in this situation. Yeah, saving people from the darkness was Yugi's thing, but Katsuya was willing to adopt it, too. No one deserved to face life alone.

Katsuya took his unimpressed roommate to a mid-range restaurant. It wasn’t the fancy crap that he was used to, but the food was still pretty good. Seto could do with a lesson in dining like a regular person. If he didn’t like it, they could just go to Burger World instead. That threat was enough to make him turn his nose at Katsuya, who just smirked back at Seto. That kept him quiet.

Seto didn’t know what to pick. It had been a good while since he had eaten normal people's food that he wasn’t sure what to pick. The cheapest item on the menu would save Katsuya’s wallet and save further headaches would be a good idea, unless he could manage to slip some money in without being noticed. No need to break the bank to try to impress a rich kid, or whatever the hell Katsuya was plotting.

He remained quiet as he perused the menu. Katsuya was mumbling to himself as he searched through the menu himself. It had been ages since he had gone out for food like this. Choosing was so difficult when there were so many options. Katsuya had to be careful, however. He had savings, but they weren’t plentiful. But, it would be fine. It was just once, and then, he could just tighten his belt.

Finally, they had both made their choices. Seto settled on something small. He didn’t like his roommate, but he didn’t want to wreck his wallet. He had some decency. He didn't eat a terrible amount, either. Katsuya, on the other hand, ordered something relatively large. Typical. The boy had a bottomless stomach. When food arrived, Seto awkwardly poked at his food. He couldn’t help it, he was a snob. But Katsuya was already face-first in his.

Finally, Seto had enough. He dropped his fork with a defeated clink. “Why are you doing this?”

“Mm?” Katsuya swallowed his mouthful of food. “What’s ‘this’?”

“This.” He gestures to the table. “Why the hell are you bothering? We don’t like each other, and don’t pretend otherwise.”

Katsuya paused for a moment. The truth wasn’t going to go down well, not if he knew Seto Kaiba. The slightest display of pity and he would have escaped from the building faster than a startled bird. Being delicate wasn’t Katsuya’s best quality, either. Why couldn't Yugi be here? He would know what to say.

“Alright, look, we gotta be nicer to each other.” Sensing hostility from Seto, Katsuya sucked in his breath. He didn’t want conflict. “Do you really want a whole year of fighting? In high school, yeah, whatever, I could just ignore you. But this means a lot to me, and I’m not gonna let you blow it.”

Katsuya had put in too much effort for Seto to ruin it now. He had worked so hard to get here, and somehow, he had made it. That was only a small part of why he was doing this. But Seto didn’t need to know that. Katsuya looked him dead in the eye as he spoke. Seto seemed a little stunned by the honesty, but only for a moment. His face soon switched back to serious.

“Fine. I have nothing to gain from being rude to you,” Seto admitted. “But don’t expect friendship from me. I don’t do friendship.”

Eh, well, a partial victory was better than nothing. Seto could at least say he would stop being such a jackass. But Katsuya was interested in forming some sort of friendship with him. And paying him back for feeding him. It was fine, he would wear Seto down like Yugi had worn Katsuya himself down. Life was much better with friends, and Seto would see that in time.

In the time it took for Katsuya to go to the bathroom, Seto managed to sneak in the money to pay for food. If he wanted a truce, then he would need to accept Seto paying for at least part of the food food. Not like it was even expensive, but he had the money for it, anyway. He relaxed in his chair for a moment. A truce. What a strange concept. The two had hated each other for years, and now Katsuya wanted a truce?

Well, in all fairness, Seto started this truce. He had started it by cooking for Katsuya. But it wasn’t like that took any extra effort. This was a trap, wasn’t it? Seto wasn’t going to be fooled by kindness. When Katsuya came back, he was unhappy to find that the bill had already been paid, and demanded to go halves on it. Seto refused.

The next day, Seto found around three thousand extra yen stuffed into his bag. He shook his head with a scoff. Typical Katsuya - prideful to a fault.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short one this time!


	5. Chapter 5

“Good! You’re home.”

Katsuya was waiting for him near to the doorway with a big smile.. Seto rolled his eyes. Oh boy, this could have only been good.

“Are you going to Domino any time soon?” Katsuya asked. “If not, then I’ll find my own way.”   
“This weekend. If you want to come along, ask.” Seto was already annoyed.

“...sorry. Yeah, I’d like a ride, if you’re going.” He was big enough of a person to admit could have worded it better.

“Maybe. If you can try to stop yourself from irritating me for a whole week. Good luck.”

Seto walked off into his room. He was happy to have the company on the way home. Maybe it would help him keep his mind off seeing his father. Gozaburo would not be around much this time, much to Seto's relief. Even so, simply the thought of seeing him was enough to leave Seto on edge. The man didn’t even need to be around to control him.

Katsuya, on the other hand, had no intention on seeing his father while in Domino City, or any of his family members. His intention was to stay with Yugi and to see the rest of his friends. He would need to call Yugi to make sure that this weekend would be alright, but he couldn’t imagine why it wouldn’t be. He smiled to himself. It had been a good while since they had seen each other.

It was strangely kind of Seto to offer him a lift. Katsuya was a little suspicious. What was he going to have to do in return? Dress in a dog suit and run around barking at university? No thanks. He would rather pay for the train ticket. Katsuya wasn’t that cheap - his dignity was worth more. But Seto never did ask for anything in return.

The weekend soon came, and before they knew it, they both had their overnight bags packed. Both of them waited by the door, and Katsuya was a little antsy. Thinking to himself, he realised this was the first time Katsuya had gone home since starting school. He couldn’t stop grinning. Seto had his arms folded, fingers tapping his elbow. Once the driver arrived, their bags were placed in the boot while they sat down.

The car was large and spacious, and it did not take an expert to realise this was an expensive car. Katsuya felt like he needed to take his shoes off upon entering. He stretched his legs, something not a lot of cars allowed him to do. Oh yeah, this was the life. Maybe he really did need a sugar daddy.

“What a cool car,” Katsuya sighed wistfully.

“My father insists on travelling in style,” Seto said, a touch of disdain in his tone.

He didn’t need to explain. If Katsuya was rich, he would travel in all sorts of fancy cars. It wasn’t fair knowing someone like Seto. Katsuya got a taste of second hand richness, but it was not his own. Seto was so lucky to live this life, while people like Katsuya were stepped on every day. It was not fair. Spoilt little rich boy. Seto did not pay attention to the envious looks Katsuya gave him. He should have been used to them at that point.

Silence. Katsuya stared out of the window. What was he supposed to do? It would have been just as awkward on a train, he told himself. Next time, he would find his own way, if this was how it was always going to be. Seto looked straight ahead into the windscreen. He seemed like a statue, hard and unmoving. If Katsuya just poked him... 

“The little game shop near our old school,” Seto said, finally breaking the silence. He jumped with a small gasp. “That’s where you’re headed.”   
  


Katsuya nodded. “Huh, you remembered. I’m staying with Yugi. You remember him, right?”

Not staying with family? That was a small surprise. “Yes. He used to follow you around, and then, you followed him around.”

“Shut up,” Katsuya crossed his arms. “Anyway, that place kinda became my home back in school. Me and Yugi’d duel all the time in that place, and it turned into setting up tournaments. Mostly ‘cause kids wanted to duel Yugi. He’d always win.”

Seto didn’t say anything. He heard all the legends about Yugi. The shrimp had garnered a reputation for his duelling skills. Seto never had the time to duel him, but one day, he would. When that day came, he was sure to win. That would be another time, though. He could have snuck off with Katsuya and… wait, no, what was he thinking?

“He’s a really cool guy. I wouldn’t be who I am without him.”

“Then, are you saying he’s the reason you’re so irritating?”

Katsuya bit his tongue. It was one thing chewing Seto out when they were home. It was another when he was in Seto’s car, where he could easily be thrown into a ditch. This truce lasted longer than he had expected, so Katsuya couldn't complain. This was the first insult he had endured in a couple of weeks. It wasn’t all bad, but he was also insulting Yugi with his sharp little comment. If they were at home, Katsuya would have torn him a new one. Unless this was a crappy attempt at connecting with Katsuya. He didn't know.

Seto knew what he was like. His defence mechanism was kicking in and, unfortunately, Katsuya was the one on the receiving end. As per usual. Surprisingly enough, he wasn’t barking insults at Seto right back, nor was he flailing around angrily. Seto scared himself when he realised he actually cared about the reason for a moment. 

It wasn’t much longer until they arrived. Katsuya’s excitement only grew as he was left alone, while Seto remained at the same level of dread. He didn’t have to see Gozaburo this time, he reminded himself. This weekend was purely about spending time with Mokuba. To top it all off, it was a Katsuya-free weekend. What was not to love about it? Yet everything about that mansion made his skin crawl, and if he could avoid stepping foot in it, he would.

Katsuya quickly pulled a bit of paper from his backpack and a pen. He scribbled something down on a bit of paper, before handing it over to Seto, who raised an eyebrow at him. Before he got a chance to look, Katsuya spoke.

“It’s my number, in case plans change or-- or something.”

Oh good. Illegible handwriting. Seto’s favourite. “I hope you aren’t seriously expecting me to—“

“Just keep it. It’s just good to stay in the loop with you, you know.”

Katsuya was being serious for once. He couldn’t think that Seto was just going to abandon him when it came to going home, right? Oh, that was rich. He was so tempted to just leave him out of spite. The only thing stopping him was that Katsuya would find his way home eventually, somehow. Seto would never hear the end of it. He made a show of putting the number in his phone, before folding the note and placing it carefully in his pocket. Just in case he dialled in the number incorrectly.

Katsuya was dropped off at the game shop’s front door. Yugi was outside at the time, putting up some sort of poster for a tournament, and his eyes widened when he saw Katsuya emerge from the roomy car. Katsuya felt like a movie star. Why couldn’t he have lived with Seto sooner? He could have always gotten lifts like this. The moment he was out of the car, it sped off, like Seto and his driver had just robbed a bank. If Katsuya had not just come out of it, he would have believed it was all in his head.

“I can’t believe he agreed to take you here,” Yugi said quietly. “You know Kaiba.”

“Can’t believe it either, really. Who knew Kaiba could be kinda decent?” Katsuya mumbled. “But, hey, enough about that!” He pulled Yugi into a hug. “I’m so happy to see you. And when everyone else gets here, it’s gonna be a party!” 

Yugi laughed. It had been far too quiet without his best friend.  At least they had Discord and their phone calls. Yugi had taken over the shop, as Sugoroku had realised he was getting too old. Though he kept busy around the shop with Yugi, it was nowhere near as often as it used to be.

Katsuya had decided he would help that day, instead of goofing off. He needed to earn his keep. Plus, if Yugi was less busy, they could talk more. The rest of the gang was coming over in the evening. Katsuya had been looking forward to this all week. It was far nicer to hang out with actual friends, and not his roommate.

In the Kaiba household, all was quiet. Too quiet for Seto's liking. Seto was on edge, despite knowing that his father would not be there this weekend. He placed his small suitcase into his room, before going to find Mokuba. Thankfully, he was in his room, quiet, unaware that his brother had just gone through the door, until he cleared his throat. Mokuba grinned and put down his laptop.

They hung out for the day. Seto could ignore the looming deadlines for a couple of hours, and Mokuba could spend time with his older brother. Seto was going to enjoy this time together for as long as possible, before that rebellious phase started to hit for sure. Once that started, they may not hang out like this anymore.

Or worse, Mokuba could start lashing out at the wrong people. That would stop them from seeing each other for sure, as punishment, and Seto would most likely be to blame. He didn’t want that to happen, either. But how would one stop a rebellious teenager? He needed to figure that out before it was too late.

It was almost ten at night. Seto did not sleep. He sat at his desk, finishing homework. Really, he should have started this sooner. It wasn’t like he would be able to sleep, not at his father’s house. His phone was by his work. Usually, it would not be there. It would be somewhere where it could not distract him. But that was exactly what Seto was hoping for.

What was he thinking? Seto sighed, picking up his phone. He wasn’t thinking, he was bored. It was late. The worst he would get is ignored, and then receive a text a few hours later. That, too, would have suited him.

‘ _ Jonouchi. This is Kaiba Seto _ .’

Katsuya’s phone buzzed while he was watching some sort of trash film with his friends. None of them were paying attention; it was just in the background. While Hiroto and Anzu were in heavy discussion about something, Katsuya took this time to check his phone. Huh? Seto? He didn’t except a text from him. He smiled. Man, he really was starting to get through to that stubborn rich kid. His friendship plan was coming along nicely.

“Oh!” Anzu’s voice caught his attention. “What’s that smile for?” She had that look in her eyes that told Katsuya to run, but he didn’t. Mistake. “Don’t tell me you like someone.”

Katsuya’s face fell. What. That was the only word that ran through his mind. He hadn’t met anyone, just Seto. But uh, he wasn’t going to admit that was why he was smiling. There were just some things you do not say. That was one of them. Plus, they would get the wrong idea, and Katsuya really didn't want that.

“No way! This is just—“ He just could not say that it was Seto. “It’s just some guy I know. A friend. He sent me a text and—“

“Oh?” Hiroto was practically singing. His arm wrapped tightly around Katsuya’s shoulders, who was desperately trying to fight him off. “Doesn’t seem like a ‘just’ to me!”

“What would you know?!” Katsuya looked over at Yugi. “A little help here, please?”

Yugi just laughed before stopping the group from dogpiling on Katsuya. It was a good thing Yugi was there to save him. Katsuya was glad to be back in Domino City, with his friends, even when they were like this. He had forgotten how intrusive they could be, though. Then again, he couldn’t say anything. If any of the others were in his position, he would have joined in the dogpiling.

Especially if that friend liked Seto Kaiba. Well, who wouldn’t like him to some varying degree? He was rich. Anyone would have him as a sugar daddy. No, he had no idea why he was thinking of this, either. Shaking off his thoughts, he tapped out a reply to Seto. 

‘ _ something up?’ _

Katsuya did say to contact in case of emergency. Thinking about it, it was ridiculous for him to be happy. Seto was probably texting him to let him know he would need to find his own way home.

Seto had given up on Katsuya some time ago, deciding instead to go back to his work. The unfortunate part was that he had no interest in work that night. It was rare that his attention span was this low. Usually, he had some sort of reasoning. That reason was either his father, or Katsuya. But this time, he had no reason. Gozaburo was on a trip, and Katsuya was nowhere near him.

Was that the problem? Maybe he had gotten so used to background noise that he could not focus as well without Katsuya yelling about who-knows-what. Seto pinched the bridge of his nose. He couldn’t believe that was a real, possible reason. Ugh. He would need to start pulling away from Katsuya. Otherwise, it was going to be tough when they no longer lived together.

Finally, Katsuya decided to reply. In a way, this was a win. Seto was looking for a distraction. It was a shame he had sunk so low to talk to Katsuya. God, if he wanted a friend, he should have tried to find someone better in his classes.

‘ _ No _ .’

Could he have said more than that? Probably. But he didn’t really want to  _ talk _ to Katsuya. He wanted a distraction, not a late-night philosophical discussion on whatever the hell was on his mind. Then why the hell did he text him? God, Seto didn’t know. He wasn’t sure what was going through his mind anymore.

‘ _ so you contact me for nothing yeah thats cool _ ’

‘ _ Don’t be a child _ .’ A minute later, he sent another text. ‘ _ I am just making you aware this is my number. Goodnight. _ ’ 

Oh, for God’s sake. And there he thought those two were going to actually have a decent conversation. Katsuya wouldn’t have minded that. Some time when they weren’t just being cold or agreeable with each other. Just two guys hanging out. That was what Katsuya was after.

Wait. What was he thinking? His thoughts were awfully centred around his dumb roommate.

About an hour after the film had finished, Hiroto and Anzu went home. They had no choice; both had to be up in the morning, and the four of them together meant they would be up all night. One day, they would have to come over to see Katsuya. It would have been great having them over, staying up all night and eating crap. Just like back in school. Seto wouldn't have liked that, but no one cared what Seto liked.

It was just Yugi and Katsuya. Having enough of the day, they decided it was time to call it a night. The sleeping bag was already unrolled in Yugi’s room, meaning Katsuya could just curl up and die inside of it. The unfortunate thing was that he could not sleep. Luckily for him, nor could Yugi. Katsuya sighed.

“She’s right, isn’t she?” Yugi asked. His bluntness surprised Katsuya. He sat up to look at his friend.

“What’re you talking about?” One look at him told Katsuya everything. There was no use playing dumb. “No! No. God. I’m just trying to get through to Kaiba. Like you did with me.” 

He wasn’t stupid. He knew Yugi had his weird suspicions, and he knew that Yugi thought there was probably something else. All his friends were thinking the same thing. No one had any faith in Katsuya. He could talk to someone without having feelings for them. Especially if that someone was Seto. Ugh. With a huff, Katsuya rolled over and went to sleep.

The next morning, Katsuya had to wait for Seto at the shop. Yugi did not mention the night before, and if he still suspected something, he certainly didn’t let it show now. He was too decent to embarrass him further. Katsuya could shove all that to the back of his mind. If he didn’t mention it, no one would remember it. That was how he saw it, anyway. 

Seto arrived at the agreed upon time. Why did Katsuya expect any different? Saying a quick goodbye to Yugi, he bounded out the shop and to the car. Though when he got into the car, Seto was just staring out the window. Was he being a baby about last night?

“You okay?” Katsuya frowned at him.

“Mind your own business,” Seto said calmly.

Seto had a reason for keeping his distance. The previous night, he had a strange, vague dream. He couldn’t quite make it out, but he knew he was lying in grass with Katsuya. He could remember the sound of a gentle laugh. Something about that made his stomach twist in a way that he was not comfortable with. He was not in control of this. He hated it.

He could have just told Katsuya, but he didn’t want to. In his mind, he knew damn well this was something to keep to himself. Instead, he would just keep his distance until his mind settled. The trip home was silent, and that was the way Seto liked it. When he wasn’t talking to Katsuya, his mind could settle, to focus on something else.

_ Anything _ else.


	6. Chapter 6

“Hey!” Katsuya yelled before Seto could get out the door. “Are you going to class? Now?”

“Yes.” Seto opened the door.

“Wait for me! I was gonna head out in a sec anyw—“

“No.”

And that was it  Seto was out the door. Ever since they had come back from Domino City, Seto had been unwilling to walk with him. And if they talked, it was usually one-word answers on Seto’s part. He sought after the solidarity of his room, slamming the door shut when he entered to really drive home the point. It was unnecessary, yes, but he needed to get the point across that he was mad. He just wasn’t sure why he was so mad when he saw Katsuya’s face. Was it anger? It was like a knife twisting in his heart. Whatever it was, Seto wasn’t going to deal with it. If he didn't see him, he didn't think about it.

Katsuya thought Seto was being an ass for no good reason. It wasn’t like Katsuya was an ass to him to begin with. For once, he could say he was innocent. Yet the look Seto gave him was like he had hurt Mokuba, or like they had gone back in time to how they were just last year. In between studying and working, he didn’t have the energy to fight him or confront him on this. For now, he just needed to put up with it. Seto would have to calm down sooner or later.

This had been going on for about a week. As time crept on, Katsuya didn’t know how long he could handle this hostility for. Again. After they had agreed to stop being asses to each other. Maybe he could muster time and energy into a small fight, just for them to resolve…whatever the hell this was  _ this _ time.

He put on his shoes and went off to class. With his phone in his hand, he furiously tapped out a text to Seto.

‘ _ wtf is your problem lately _ ’

Seto should have seen this one coming. He could admit he was keeping his distance on purpose, but not why. Every time he cast his gaze onto Katsuya, he remembered the vague dream he had. Every time he remembered the dream, the blanks started to fill themselves, and the last thing Seto wanted was to remember the full dream. Of course, he couldn't tell Katsuya any of this.

Seto had to justify this dream to himself. It was the fact that Katsuya was a safe presence, of course. In the past couple of months, even when angry, he did not take it out on Seto. Katsuya was probably one of the kindest people he had met, especially in the years he had spent dealing with his father and his little lackeys. Katsuya one of the two most positive influences in his life, which was a strange sentence to Seto.

Even after rationalising it, he felt like he still couldn’t look Katsuya in the eye. What the hell was wrong with him? Seto sighed. It wasn’t like he could take time away to regroup; he lived with Katsuya. He was looking forward to the end of the year already, when he wouldn't have to deal with this ever again.

‘ _ I have work to do. I don’t have time to play with you _ .’

‘ _ not asking for company just asking why you need to be such a dick _ ’

Seto stopped for a moment. There was no need to answer this truthfully, but there was no kind alternative. Instead, he typed out something harsh instead.

‘ _ We aren’t friends. I don’t have to pretend that we are _ .’

Ouch. Katsuya visibly flinched at that, but forced himself to shrug it off. Seto was right; they were never friends.

‘ _ omg im asking you to be nicer not to be best friends _ ’

‘ _ I am nice. Nicer to you than to most people. Stop whining _ .’

Katsuya stared at that text in confusion for a moment. What was that supposed to mean? He can’t go from basically ‘I hate you’ to that. If this counted as nice to Seto, Katsuya didn't want to see him be cruel.

‘ _ i dont know why im talking to you _ ’

Seto snorted. No one was making Katsuya speak to him.

‘ _ Then don’t _ .’

‘ _ fine i wont _ ’

‘ _ Goodbye _ .’

‘ _ fuck you _ ’

Seto didn’t bother to reply. He had already made it to the sanctuary of the library, with an iced coffee in hand. There was no way Katsuya would come in here, even if he was looking for him. It wouldn’t have crossed his mind to look. Heh. There Seto was, hiding in the library like a child. It made him wonder what the hell he was doing. Why was he doing this?

It reminded Seto of when they had first moved in together. Back then, he wanted to grab his belongings and leave, but he didn’t. Because he was a grown up now. Katsuya was less obnoxious now than he was at the start of their acquaintance. And it wasn’t like he was that bad. That was the problem, though. At least if he was unbearable, he could handle that appropriately.

Even by himself, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about Katsuya Jonouchi. For fuck’s sake. Seto buried his head in a book and got to work. The only way to settle his stupid mind was to focus on something else, and to an extent, it worked. Until he took a break to turn the page, and it started all over again. Seto needed to get out of this train of thought.

Katsuya rushed to class. He had time, of course, but he was hoping to catch up with Seto. He never stood a chance - he was taller and a faster walker, especially when he wanted to get somewhere. God, the moment he saw Seto, he promised himself that he would grab his roommate by the shoulders and shake him until the sense came out, like fruit from a tree.

Katsuya was just killing himself over this inside. Why was he so damn focused on what Seto thought of him? He didn’t care, or rather, he shouldn’t care. He shouldn’t care, yet he did, and it was driving him nuts. The moment he got to class, he felt relieved. Finally, he had something else to occupy his full mind.

\--

Katsuya had given up on him, leaving Seto to his own devices. If he wanted to be an ass, then fine, just as long as he remained to be a calm ass and not an aggressive one. He couldn’t help but feel guilty for giving up, but he wasn’t about to chase Seto until they became friends. Katsuya wasn’t desperate, and he would much rather be alone than being shot down. He could make more friends in his classes, anyway. Not befriending his roommate wasn’t the worst thing, right?

Katsuya’s absence was noticed. He wasn’t sure how to feel about it, it wasn't as if they were friends in the first place. But it was the simple things like eating dinner together, or listening to Katsuya complain about the most ridiculous things that made Seto realised that pushing him away was a mistake.

But he was too stubborn to say anything. For a little while longer, Seto just learned to live with it. A few months ago, he was happy to live without friends, but now he had a feel for what a  _ friend  _ was. And as much as he wished he never knew the feeling, Seto was sure that he didn’t want to lose Katsuya’s friendship. He had fucked up. He could admit that. His pride wasn't that terrible.

Seto started to lose sleep over worrying, but the only hint of that were small bags under his eyes, which were easy enough to conceal. He was used to not sleeping, after all, so he functioned relatively well. When he saw Katsuya, he would pause to say something but, in the end, did not bother. The only interaction they had lately was Seto letting him know food was ready, and Katsuya responding in some way. Usually with a grunt. Seto could understand why.

Seto couldn’t believe how much he missed the company of his roommate. Like an idiot, however, he stayed secluded in his room. But what was he to do? Too stubborn to apologise, or try to reconcile in some way. Yes, Seto knew he was an idiot, and an asshole, and inconceivably selfish, but that did not spur him on to being a bigger and better person.

He forced himself into his work, but even that suffered a steady decline in quality. Fuck. Frustrated, he knocked all the papers off his desk and buried his face in his hands, elbows on the desk’s surface and breathing heavily through his fingers. Even when they weren’t friends, Katsuya was all he could think about.

He needed a drink, so he rose from his chair and left his room for the first time in what seemed like days. Rubbing his eyes, he poured himself a glass of water and sighed. He did consider speaking to Katsuya when he got home, but what would that have solved? Seto was just going to make an ass out of himself, and Seto Kaiba did not like making an ass out of himself.

Katsuya had come home early, it seemed, as the front door closed, gently, but hard enough for Seto to hear it. Damn, now he needed to manoeuvre away from his roommate without seeming like he was avoiding him. Well, more than he was. Carefully, he made his way out the kitchen, only to find Katsuya already at the door. For God’s sake.

Seto’s features hardened as he laid eyes on him, defensive. Katsuya rolled his eyes and pushed past him.

“Don’t have time for your crap, Kaiba,” he said, rummaging through the cupboards for some sort of snack.

Seto stood there for a moment, swallowing the hurt. He had no reason to be hurt. “Good for you.”

The cupboard door slammed, and Seto looked behind him to see the commotion. He saw Katsuya, hands planted firmly on the worktop as he sighed.

“I don’t get you, Kaiba. One second, you hate me, and that’s fine. Then, when it’s convenient, you act like we’re friends.” Katsuya scoffed. “But now you’re bored of that. So now you hate me again. Fuck, can I at least know what I’ve done wrong this time?”

Seto wanted to tell him what was wrong, but it sounded so stupid. There was just too much to explain. He sighed softly to himself.

“Nothing.” There was a hint of sadness in his voice that he tried so hard to hide.

“Nothing,” Katsuya echoed, with a barely restrained laugh. “So you’re being like this for nothing, as always. God, and I thought finally, we’d... I don’t care. I’m done.”

Katsuya pushed past Seto once again and stormed off into his room. He stood there for a moment, but finally gave up, and simply decided to retreat to his room with his drink. That was that, then.

Seto closed his bedroom door softly behind him, and put his drink down somewhere. He held his face in one hand and breathed in deeply. He leaned against his door heavily, as if his legs no longer had the strength to carry him.

It was strange, to him, that Katsuya was the first and only person – bar Mokuba, of course – that made Seto feel like the ass he was. Perhaps that was part of the reason he was extra rude to his undeserving roommate. It was too late to apologise now. Katsuya would have just broken his spine.

\--

The next day came and went, with Seto wondering where the day had gone. He counted on spending a couple of hours preparing an actual apology, but school and personal projects had eaten his time. Katsuya was going to be late home at least, giving Seto some time to prepare.

He kept writing down various speeches, reading through, and trashing the paper he had written it on. An empty basket soon found itself overflowing with paper. Hours passed, and Seto was still no closer. Instead, he managed to empty out an entire new notepad.

He buried his head in his arms. It was a simple apology from the heart, not rocket science. Actually, Seto was convinced trying rocket science would have been simpler than this. He did not do apologies. He did not do heartfelt.

Seto had enough, and needed a break. He left his room to go and grab a snack, yet something felt off. Usually, there was some sort of trace of Katsuya, like a sock in the middle of the floor, or a glass on the table with no coaster. Seto looked around and everything was in its place.

He stopped in his tracks and went back, towards Katsuya’s bedroom this time. He knocked once, and there was no answer. He knocked harder, and still nothing. Seto clicked his tongue and put his hand on the handle.

“Jonouchi Katsuya, ignoring people is  _ rude _ .”

When he opened the door, he found an empty room. Not a trace of life. Panic slowly rose to Seto’s chest as he entered the room and began to rifle through the drawers that came with the apartment, yet there was nothing. Not one item was in the drawers. He took a step back and realised he was alone.

This was not what he wanted. Seto thought he was so used to being alone, being  _ lonely _ , that if he lived alone he wouldn’t have felt a difference. But God, he did. What had he done?

With his heart in his throat, Seto sat up. Blinking, he looked around, shielding his eyes from the lamp’s light. A dream, how cliché. He rolled his eyes, before looking at the time. Dammit, Katsuya was going to be home soon, and Seto had nothing. Not even a measly  _ I'm sorry _ .

He got up and paced, quickly trying to scramble something together before he realised. For it to be truly heartfelt, it could not be calculated or planned. It would simply have to be spur of the moment. With a deep breath, he went off into the living room and grabbed a book, sitting down with it.

As he thought, it didn’t take Katsuya much longer to come home. He looked completely beaten down, more than usual. Seto frowned at him - had he even been looking after himself? Katsuya looked over at him, but it didn’t register for a moment. When he looked back again, he made a small gasp of surprise.

“Fuck, Kaiba, it’s 1am. Go to bed,” Katsuya whispered. He took off his shoes and made his way to the kitchen.

“I don’t sleep, Jonouchi,” Seto hummed.

“Great for you. We can’t all be special,” Katsuya rolled his eyes.

Katsuya rifled for a quick bite to eat before going to bed, and when he emerged with his snack and Seto was still there, he was less than impressed. Figuring Seto had something to say, he sat down. His eyes narrowed into a glare as Seto put down his book. Katsuya had every right to be mad at him, but it didn't make Seto feel any better.

“I’d like to start with an apology,” Seto said.

“God, I don’t wanna argue with y—wait, what?” Katsuya spluttered at the end.

Seto needed to hide his amusement. “You heard right. I have been unnecessarily rude towards you, and for that, I want to issue an apology.”

“You’re making it sound like an essay,” Katsuya said. “...y’know, in an essay, you’re supposed to explain your point. Or, uh, your apology, I guess,” he said, attempting to press.

Seto really wanted to laugh then. Katsuya was bold, and he supposed that was one of the things he liked about him. Seto folded his hands over his lap as he thought of how to formulate his explanation.

“I don’t expect forgiveness for any of this. I don’t care whether we’re friends or not.” A blatant lie, but Katsuya didn't need to know that. “Lately, I have simply been wondering whether our relationship is a good idea or not. That’s all.”

Seto wasn't lying - he really was questioning it. He hated getting attached, hating even more so the nature of his attachment. He had dreams no man ever had business having about another man.

Katsuya stared at him in silence, and for the first time since Seto had known him, that was a piercing glare. Seto felt his heart beat change. Was this how people felt when he stared at them? It felt so off with Katsuya, who usually looked at anyone with some kind of warmth.

“And you couldn’t just say that?” He pinched the bridge of his nose, tiredness trying to pull him down. “Kaiba, why—“ He sighed. “Why the hell do you think this is a bad idea? It’s just friendship.”

“How many friends do you think I’ve had?” Seto’s stare narrowed and, suddenly, Katsuya understood.

Quietly, he uttered only an “oh.” Katsuya looked away for a minute. “Is that way you’re such a shit friend?”

“There was probably a better way to put that,” Seto spat. Katsuya was tired; he could be forgiven this once. “Again, I don’t care what you think of me now. I have said my piece, and now I’m going to bed.” He got up from the couch. “Go to bed, Katsuya.”

Seto went into his bedroom, with a weight lifted off his shoulders. He undressed and slid into bed, but the anxiety could not be shaken off. He didn't expect forgiveness, but he could still hope for it. He would give Katsuya all the time he needed to think about it. For now, all Seto could do was try to sleep off his own anxiety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> /lies down carefully  
> So. Okay, this has been yet another long gap in between chapters. I'm hopeless, but I've been writing for the Reaper76 Big Bang since March, which has been murder. Now that I'm sick of looking at that, I can finally update this! Sorry if it's a bit disjointed from the rest or whatever; I haven't looked at this in so long.  
> :  
> Thanks for reading! Concrit is always welcome, as well. ♥


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS!! It's been a full year TODAY since I posted this fic! I know like a chapter every 2 months is shoddy, but life gets hold and blah blah. Anyway! Thanks for sticking around for so long, and hope you'll still be here when I finish this in 4 years, at this rate.

A couple of days passed before they spoke again. Not because they didn’t want to talk, but more due to an unfortunate clash of schedules. It wasn’t so bad, though. Seto could stand to wait a few days without talking, and if Katsuya wanted to tell him that badly, he knew where Seto lived. He wasn’t going to beat himself up over it.

Seto woke up that morning and made his way straight to the kitchen to feed his hopeless caffeine addiction, after another terrible night’s sleep. Katsuya was already there, eating just plain bread like some sort of savage. Could he not even bother to toast it?

“If I didn’t cook, what would you eat?” he asked as he placed two bits of bread into the toaster. It made him seem like a hypocrite, but he was a hungry and cranky hypocrite.

Katsuya looked at his bit of bread and shrugged. “Dunno. Boxed crap, I guess?”

Seto rolled his eyes, but Katsuya had a point. Though, he still wasn’t the best cook, but he was getting better, and he could at least say he was making an effort. Unlike Katsuya, who would live off toast if allowed. As long as they lived together, Seto could not allow that.  
  
“You need to eat well to stand a chance at making it through the day.”

“It's why I’ve got you,” Katsuya winked.

Seto’s stomach turned at that unnecessary wink - what a strange man. He grabbed butter out of the fridge, just in time for the toast to pop out. Carefully, he grabbed each slice and put them on a plate. Dammit, stupid little things hurt to touch.

“Actually, Kaiba, I’ve been thinkin’. I, uh, just wanted to say thanks. You know, for all the crap you do,” Katsuya mumbled and scratched the back of his head. “If there’s anything I can do, then, just let me know.”

Seto stopped mid-spread. “You could start by clearing away your mess in _our_ living areas.”

Katsuya laughed. “You know I won't.” For a fleeting moment, he saw Seto smile, a rare sight indeed.

“I’m aware.”

Katsuya laughed to himself. Some things about their relationship never changed, no matter what they did.

“And, as a warning, Mokuba is coming over this weekend, so if you could at least pretend you’re not a slob for a weekend, I would be grateful.” Seto took a bite out of his lazy breakfast, finally realising how hungry he was.

It was only from Saturday evening until Sunday evening, but Katsuya didn’t need to know that. For once, he could tidy up his damn socks and cups, as that would not kill him. But also, it forced Katsuya to not stay in boxers all day in the living room, because Lord knows Seto did not want to see that.

Katsuya dumped his stuff in the sink to be washed later, most likely by Seto when he had a minute. He seemed to be allergic to cleaning, but Seto knew that even before they moved in together. But he wasn’t that bad, not always, and Seto could appreciate that.

“You know I’m just gonna leave crap everywhere now, right?”

“You do that, and I will personally see to it that your life will be hell for the next month,” Seto warned.

Katsuya laughed as he walked out the room, waving a dismissive hand at him. He had every intention to help Seto, but leaving him on edge for a little longer was funny. Through the week, he left his crap laying around through the whole apartment, and though Seto said nothing, Katsuya knew that it bothered him.

It didn’t bother him enough to cause issues, as Seto knew that, come the weekend, it would all be gone. If it wasn’t, well, it wasn’t Seto’s problem where it was put, was it? But, as he knew all along, come Saturday morning and it was all gone. Maybe this friendship stood a chance, after all.

The buzzer that evening made Katsuya jump off the couch and off to the door, and by the time Seto had gotten out of his room, Katsuya had already answered. Oh boy. He could see on the security camera that it was Mokuba, and he was already expecting Katsuya to say something stupid. He folded his arms over his chest, watching in silence.

“Hey there,” Katsuya said.

“Uh, hi?” Mokuba looked around, and when he spotted the security camera, he waved halfheartedly. Kid was observant. “Is Seto Kaiba home?”

Katsuya snorted. “Nah kid, he doesn’t live—“

Seto elbowed him in the ribs - hard enough to shock, but not hurt - and took the phone off him. “Mokuba. It’s me. I’ll let you in, give me a second.”

Seto hung up and pressed the button, while Katsuya held his hand over his side. Fucking dick. He was still groaning when Mokuba came in, and at that point it was obvious that all he wanted as attention or an apology of some kind, but neither of the Kaiba brothers would extend him the courtesy. When Mokuba came in, Katsuya managed to catch a glimpse of Seto Kaiba smiling. Was it just him, or was Seto smiling more often?

Mokuba pounced on him, wrapping his arms tightly around Seto’s waist. Always a hugger, despite Seto not being into hugs, but he didn’t mind. He was getting taller and taller with each time they saw each other, and soon, Mokuba would most likely be the taller brother. That was scary to think about.

“You could at least tie up your nest,” Seto said, fiddling with some of the blackness.

Mokuba pulled away and brushed his hand down his hair. “Oh yeah, I guess it really does look like a mess.”

Not that it would stop Mokuba, though. He reached into his bag and brushed his hair quickly, though no matter what he did, it always looked like a mess. He glanced over at Katsuya, who had since gone back to the couch.

“So, Jonouchi Katsuya, huh?” Mokuba said, loud enough for him to hear. “He’s exactly like you said.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Kaiba, what sorta lies are you reading him?” Katsuya barked, squirming a little.

“Come on, Mokuba. I’m making dinner.”

“Hey!”

Mokuba grinned at Katsuya, before running off into the kitchen with Seto. Little troublemaker, as always. Seto pulled out a couple of pots and pans as Mokuba watched him curiously.

“What?”

“I didn’t know you could cook,” Mokuba shrugged.

Seto had to learn, that was all there was to it. The less resources he took from his father, the better, and he didn’t really want a cook in the apartment, anyway. Besides, Seto needed to know how to fend for himself. Though his father taught him many things, he never taught him how to be self-sufficient, as he assumed Seto would always have people for that.

“So how many times have you yelled at him?” Mokuba asked quietly, leaning in.

“You’re assuming I can’t keep ahold of my emotions.”

Mokuba was right in his assumptions, but it was none of his business regardless. He laughed with a small snort, but stopped trying to press him, instead focusing his attention on the rest of the kitchen. Seto busied himself by chopping some vegetables. For some reason, he hadn’t expected Mokuba to be so nosy. Seto bit the corner of his lip in thought. He didn’t need to air out his personal life like this, especially with Katsuya in close proximity.

Mokuba grabbed a drink from the fridge - Katsuya’s fizzy crap, but it was opened before Seto could mention it - and took a swig from it. Ah well, too late to say anything now, and it wasn’t like there was a soda shortage in the world. He leaned onto to worktop, staring at Seto. No, he wasn’t going to air his issues to like. Another glance at Mokuba and… Seto hissed, slamming the knife on the counter.

“Yes, there was a minor... do you really need me to say it?” Seto glared.

“No. You don’t even need to admit it.” Mokuba grinned. “You can’t go five minutes without yelling at someone. So, what happened?”

Seto paused, then looked at the ajar door. He closed it before going right back to cooking. He didn’t want to talk about it, but he also didn’t want Mokuba staring for the rest of the night. Fine. In hushed whispers, he mentioned everything, starting from the beginning, all the way to now. Including that weird, vague dream he had.

God, Seto felt uncomfortable. He didn’t even want to look at his little brother's reaction, but he glanced over. Mokuba was smiling, and he had that stupid smile on his face that told him exactly what Mokuba was thinking before he said anything.

“So, you like him,” Mokuba said as if it was the most obvious thing ever.

Seto didn’t know how to answer that. “Not like that. Don’t be stupid,” he snapped. “We’re _friends_. It’s easier this way.”

That word felt so wrong coming out of Seto's mouth. Seto did not have friends; he had associates, classmates, assistants. But Katsuya fit in none of those categories, he was in a league of his own; a roommate and, dare he say, a good friend.

Of course Katsuya was hovering by the door, but he hadn’t heard anything. Though he tried, he could barely make out voices over the bubbling of pots and pans. Katsuya placed his ear against the door, slightly increasing his hearing.

“Friends?” Mokuba echoed. Katsuya heard Seto groan. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just weird hearing that come out of _your_ mouth.”

“I’m perfectly capable of making friends, Mokuba.”

“Really? Name one friend who isn’t an assistant or paid to keep you company,” Mokuba said.   
Seto went silent for a moment. “Well, I could name Jonouchi now.” He sounded so sure when he said that.

Katsuya’s eyes widened. He heard ‘friends’ and ‘Jonouchi’ in the same sort of moment, and surely, he had misheard that. Seto considered them friends? Well, he needed to work on that, because Seto was a terrible friend to him over the past while of living together.

“That doesn’t count,” Mokuba said. “Other than him.”

“The worst part is you already know the answer, but you just keep pressing,” Seto hissed.

That was why, then. All Seto had as a friend was his little brother, and though it was better than nothing, it wasn’t what Seto needed. Man, Katsuya was starting to feel bad for the guy. Figuring this was enough snooping, he retreated to his room. Katsuya expected Seto to know too much about relationships when, clearly, he was stunted in that regard.

***

The next morning, Katsuya emerged from his room, with Seto already in the living room, working on his laptop. Seto being awake this early was common, but already being in the living room was rare. Katsuya wasn’t sure if Seto knew he was there or not.

“Mokuba took your bed?” He asked.

“I insisted. He would have slept on the floor otherwise,” Seto said without looking up.

There was a lot about him that Katsuya didn’t know. He didn’t know Seto had a heart, and he did not know Mokuba meant that much to him. Hey, even a walking pile of money had feeling in there, somewhere.

Seto sighed softly. “Yes.” He paused for a moment. “Yes please, Jonouchi.”

In truth, Seto had not slept. The moment Katsuya left the room, he buried his face in his hands, trying to rub away the dark circles under his eyes. As long as he made little eye contact with both Mokuba and Katsuya, neither of them would notice. Thankfully, he had a couple of hours before Mokuba got up.

Katsuya came back into the room, a cup in each hand, and handed one over to his roommate. Seto took his cup and thanked Katsuya, who nodded and turned the TV on. It didn’t bother Seto, since he had no more energy to focus on his work. He felt like he was just going in circles with it and, when he was more awake, he was only going to delete all of it to be rewritten. He hated to admit it, but he needed to go to bed.

“Cute brother,” Katsuya commented. Seto didn’t respond, but he did stop working. “I’ve got a sister, you know. Her name is Shizuka, and she lives with my mom. I… I haven’t seen her in three years, now. Shit.”

Seto wasn’t sure what to say to that. Katsuya was never this open with him, and now that he was, it was just weird. He couldn’t imagine a world where he could not see Mokuba, where someone would take him away. Katsuya should have fought harder for her, he should have done everything he could to stay with her.

Seto needed to remember that not everyone was like him, and not every sibling relationship was what he and Mokuba had. He was lucky, all things considered.

“I apologise. I can’t imagine how hard that is.”

Katsuya waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.” He turned away, quickly wiping his face, before going back to grinning at Seto. “Any other siblings?”

“One.”

Seto hesitated for a moment, before pulling out his phone. He never mentioned him, and honestly, he could go the rest of his life without thinking about him again. Finally scrolling long enough through his photos, he found one from when he was twelve. In the middle was a fourteen year old boy, with blue-green hair, and on each side were Mokuba and Seto. Seeing this photo again sent a shiver down his spine.

“Noah. My older brother,” Seto said.

“No kidding. You two look exactly the same,” Katsuya said. “You never mentioned another brother.”

“He didn’t like me. I didn’t like him. The only thing we have in common is our love for Mokuba,” Seto stated, almost like he was reciting an essay. He shook his head. “My father wanted me as a way to push him to work harder. When that failed, my father disowned Noah at eighteen. I haven’t seen him since, and that’s how I like it. As for Mokuba, he’s probably seen him, but I don’t want to know.”

“You don’t really like anyone, do you?” Katsuya joked.

“I like a couple of people,” Seto said as he got up. “Mokuba will be awake soon. I should start making something to eat.”

Seto left the room, Katsuya finished off his coffee, which ended up being the coldest damn thing in the world. Ugh. But it wasn’t all bad for Katsuya; he managed to make the coldest guy he knew like him, even if it was only a little bit. Baby steps for their relationship.

***

By around five, Katsuya had grown tired of Mokuba, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he left the brothers alone in the living room. The more he thought about it, the more he realised Mokuba was Seto’s opposite. Loud, annoying, kind of a slob, and looking like he spent his childhood in a jungle. If someone put the two of them together without context, Katsuya would have never guessed they were related.

Mokuba had been talking nonstop for a good while as Seto was working, and while it didn’t exactly bother him, he did miss the quiet. He wished Katsuya was still out there with them, as it provided a sort of buffer. For a moment, Mokuba stopped, and it was never good when he stopped talking. Seto stopped working, mentally preparing himself.

“Ah, that’s right! Dad told me to give you something.”

Mokuba went into his backpack and fished out a carefully placed item. Odd, considering everything Mokuba touched looked like it had been mauled by a dog, but he was only a kid and could be forgiven. Seto took the envelope, which had his name beautifully written on it. Inside sat a wedding invite, and he already knew who it was.

“How many times must she get married?” Seto asked. It was his damn aunt, on her fifth wedding to some rich person. It looked like it was during his next time off, too.

“I know. Can’t believe it’s in Paris this time,” Mokuba said.

“It’ _s...what?_ ”

Seto checked the invite again and, surprise, it really did say Paris, and it also suggested bringing a plus one. Uh, no thanks. He didn’t even want to go in the first place, especially if it was in Europe. This was ridiculous, she did this every damn time. In two years, they would be divorced, and then the cycle begins anew.

“That’s ridiculous,” Seto said. “She really expects us to drop our lives for this. As always.”

“I know, right?” Mokuba snorted. “Dad said he hopes you’ll bring a ‘nice girl’ from school to this one.”

“Well, I’ll just have to leave him waiting.”

Seto placed the pretty card back into its thick envelope. This meant he _had_ to go, regardless of his wishes. He hated these events, and it always ended with an attempt at shoving him with a girl who he had no interest in. Seto always told them he was not interested, and his father was always angry, but in the long run, it spared the poor girls’ feelings.

Mokuba zipped his bag back up; all they were doing now was waiting for his ride to arrive. Seto couldn’t stop looking at the time, praying that Mokuba would go soon, allowing him to finally rest. Katsuya would care less than Mokuba would if Seto just crashed in his bed for 24 hours, anyway, if his lack of presence was even noticed.

The doorbell rang and, thankfully, it was Mokuba’s driver. Sweet, sweet rest. Before he left, he pounced on Seto for one last hug. Seto reciprocated, gently stroking his little brother’s hair.

“Please be nice,” Mokuba asked.

“I've been nice enough so far,” Seto said.

Mokuba laughed and grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder and swiftly making his way through the door. Seto sighed. He returned to the living room and found the envelope still sitting there. Crap, couldn’t let Katsuya see that. Seto stashed it in a drawer in his room, something to be forgotten about in the coming weeks.

He left his own room and knocked on Katsuya's door. “Jonouchi, what do you want for dinner?”

Besides, why would Seto want to go to a foreign country? It only meant spending more time with Gozaburo, which was the last thing he wanted.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO another 2 months pass. This fic isn't dead, I promise you! I thought I'd leave it until Kaiba's birthday to update :3c Hope y'all like 5000 words of Rambling Nonsense

Exam season was slowly approaching. Seto thrived in exam season; stress was his constant state, anyway. Unfortunately for Katsuya, he couldn't relate. Stress turned him into a sleepless mess, sustaining himself off snacks and coffee, and it reminded Seto of a gremlin. It was somewhat amusing, he had to admit.

Seto made the mistake only once to tell Katsuya to knock off the gremlin act. If he had fangs, he was certain his head would have been bitten off. Literally. If Seto were who he was only a year ago, he would press all sorts of buttons. For once, he left Katsuya to it.

Well, almost.

“If you studied more, you wouldn't be cramming it in now,” Seto scoffed as he walked through the living room.

Katsuya had turned the living room into his own study area, which did not bother Seto so much. His only concern was stepping over the field of expensive textbooks. He had seen some of the titles, and raised an eyebrow. What on earth was Katsuya studying, anyway?

“I do, but not everyone has an encyclopedia for a brain.”

Katsuya looked up at him, pale-faced, contrasting against the dark bags under his eyes. Seto couldn't hide the small gasp when their eyes met, seeing those cold brown eyes. When did he last sleep? What was the last thing he ate? The coffee table was covered in can after can of energy drink, much to Seto’s horror.

Normally, Seto would roll his eyes and walk by, but for whatever reason, this time, he couldn't. He paused, watching him, before grabbing the book carefully out of Katsuya’s hands and slamming it shut. He couldn't just walk by and pretend that he didn't know or _care_ that Katsuya was struggling. His lips pressed into a thin line, tucking it under his arm.

“Kaiba, what the hell?” Katsuya jumped to his feet and tried to pull the book out of Seto’s grip. Luckily for Seto, he was too weak to try. “I'm trying to study here, so if you don't mind, fuck off.”

“Don't be stupid, you'll kill yourself. Do you really think you can study when you're this tired?” Seto gestured to him with his free hand. “Look at you. You can barely stand.”

Katsuya clicked his tongue. “You sure as hell can. I see you all the time, how tired you are, yet you keep going.”

Seto opened his mouth slightly, questions on his tongue and surprise on his mind. He hated how much Katsuya was starting to know about him. A part of him was telling him it was time to pull back from Katsuya again, but he didn't really want to. Maybe it would be good for him to have _someone_ in his corner. Still, he had no business knowing just how bad he could be.

Blindsided by his concern, Katsuya took the book off him once again. He sat back down, flicking through the pages, but Seto could see in his face this was the last thing to he wanted to do. Instead, he stood over Katsuya, and though it looked like he was looking down his nose at him, he really wasn't. Seto held his hand out to him.

“That's enough. Give me the book and go to bed. That's not a suggestion either, Jonouchi.” His eyes narrowed as he stared at Katsuya.

“But--”

“Believe me, you don't want to be like me.” Both Katsuya and Seto looked at each other, surprised he had said that. Seto shook it off. “Give me the book, and when you're awake, I'll show you how to study without killing yourself.”

Perhaps it came out a little more condescending than he wanted it to, but Katsuya did not bite back at him, for once. He yawned in response, hiding his face in both hands, before looking back up at Seto. It seemed he finally saw sense, as he grabbed the book and stood up, handed it over to Seto, before going back to his room.

If someone had told Katsuya a year ago that this was his future, he would have laughed. Seto was incapable of kindness, of compassion for his fellow man. That was what Katsuya thought, until they started living together, and maybe now he could believe this guy was capable of caring about something that wasn't himself. Before he could think any more on it, his body caved in to sleep.

When Katsuya woke up twelve hours later, he felt like a train had hit him. His body was sore, resisting his attempts at getting up. His stomach growled, his mouth was dry, and his bladder was about to burst. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't just lie there anymore. He rose slowly, the world spinning around him before he remembered.

Shit. Seto still had his books. He had probably put them all ‘away’ in a neat pile, which would have completely screwed Katsuya over.

Katsuya rubbed his eyes, making his way through the small apartment to do his business. Then, he wandered off to the kitchen to make a sandwich. Ugh, his entire being was so empty. He went back to the living room, and he realised just how out of it he was, like a smack to the face.

He came in to Seto sitting on the floor, a book on his lap and three decks of cards next to him. Two of them were decks of flashcards, neatly hand written by Seto in brightly coloured pens. The other was a deck of Duel Monster cards, but Katsuya didn't understand, or his brain refused to put all the pieces together. Hey, maybe he would finally see the legendary Seto Kaiba’s deck.

“Hey.” Katsuya greeted. He gestured to whatever this was as Seto looked up, and he hoped he hadn't just sat there for twelve hours. “So, what's this?”

“You duel, don't you?” Seto shuffled one of the decks. “Don't answer that, I know you do. Go get your deck, and I'll explain.”

Katsuya wanted to ask what this was, and how this was relevant to helping him study, but he was just left standing there looking at him. Seto stared up at him, until Katsuya took the hint and went back to his room. Fine, he would get the damn cards, whatever.

His most valuable possessions were not his laptop, his clothes, or his phone, and in fact, not many of his possessions were of value. He fished out a small box from his bedside table, which contained his most valuable item; his deck. Over the years, he had won and been gifted an impressive array of cards, and if he sat down and calculated, he was certain they would be worth a considerable amount. He was certain, one day his father would catch wind of this and steal them, selling them for his own addictions. It was always a relief to see his cards.

He hopped off his bed and made his way back to the living room, deck in hand. Sure, he couldn't beat Yugi - not many duellists could - but Katsuya had participated in countless tournaments, and _won_. He was aware Seto was smart, aware he was a good duellist, but Katsuya was oddly confident that this would be his weakness.

Seto looked up at him again. “You took your time. Sit down, and I'll explain the rules.”

Katsuya shuffled his deck as Seto explained what this was about. As he thought, this was still a duel, but with a key difference. Seto gestured to the flashcards; before every draw, they were to answer a question on the cards. A wrong answer put said card into the graveyard. Katsuya shuffled through the flashcards, horror spreading through his being. They were thorough, while also being concise, and he really needed to ask Seto how he did that. They each held the other side’s flashcards, to ensure there would be no cheating.

“I expect you to get all of these right,” Seto said, matter-of-factly. “Don't give me any pathetic whining that you can't, and I don't want to hear any excuses. You _know_ the answers, and if you don't, should you really be here?”

Katsuya’s brow furrowed as Seto spoke. Who did he think he was, anyway, talking to him like that, like he was an _idiot?_ Those cold blue eyes were soft, no longer looking at him in anger and hatred, and that was when Katsuya realised. Though his tone was harsh, his words icy, this was his way of trying to be encouraging, no matter how terrible a way it was. It certainly did not help, but Seto was trying, and if he could be a decent guy, then anything was possible. Maybe he was right, and he would get every single answer right, but that would have been a miracle.

This thought was soon extinguished as, part way through the duel, most of Katsuya’s deck was in the graveyard, much to the horror of both of them. He had wasted so much time, he realised as he looked over at the pile of answered questions. Honestly, he had dug himself into a hole, both in this duel and in his studying. What was he going to do? He swallowed hard as he looked at Seto’s side; two Blue Eyes on the field, and Katsuya’s life points were pathetic. Seto had gotten every answer right.

His hand was terrible. No traps, no spells, nothing that could save him, except for Red Eyes. But his field was empty, with no way of summoning it. Seto was watching him with that smug smirk that Katsuya just wanted to choke out of him, and suddenly he remembered why they weren't friends in the first place.

“Can't summon?” Seto made no effort to hide the amusement from his tone. “Not like it matters at this stage of the duel, but I'll let you summon whatever is in your hand.” Before Katsuya could, however, Seto drew two flashcards. “Answer two questions, first, then I'll let you.”

Katsuya frowned. He had no other options, and he had come so far, too far, for it to end here. Though, the way Seto was acting was almost like he was getting off on this. Ugh, this was not the time to think about his kinks. Ever.

Though Katsuya didn't want his charity, he was running a little low on options. “Fine. I want two questions.”

Katsuya found himself relying on luck once again, he realised, as he sat there begging for an easy question. Seto read the first flashcard and his eyes widened for a moment, and Katsuya’s hopes had been dashed. Maybe Seto just didn't know enough, maybe he was just trying to make Katsuya nervous, he didn't know.

Luckily for Katsuya, his answers were correct.  Unfortunately, as he should have known, it was all for nothing, as Seto still had _two_ Blue Eyes on his field. Still, it was better to go down with a fight. When Seto called his attack, it was over, and Katsuya’s life points dropped to zero, the same as his mood.

What had Katsuya been _doing_ for the past few months? He had been working hard every day, at work, in class, and at home. Sure, sometimes he had taken some time to relax, but not always. Maybe he had taken too many days off, maybe he should stop taking a break and _actually focus_ , for once in his life. Despite what Seto said, Katsuya still wanted to be more like him; who knew that he would end up being a positive influence?

Katsuya sucked in a deep, shaking breath through his teeth, gathering up his cards back into their original two piles. He slammed the flashcards down, before almost throwing his deck at a bewildered Seto.

“Cut the cards. We're going again.”

Seto looked down at the cards that had been shoved into his hands, confused for a moment. He wasn't one for symbolism, or any poetic nonsense, but he knew what these cards meant. Seto had underestimated who Katsuya Jonouchi was, and what kind of fire lay in his stomach. Whatever drove him made Seto curious, for whatever it was must have been strong. He smirked, gathering up his own cards and handing them over to Katsuya to cut.

No matter how many losses, or incorrect answers, and no matter how much humiliation he endured, he just kept going. Never before had Seto seen someone so determined, someone who wasn't himself, anyway.

But even the strongest people cracked.  Katsuya dropped his failed hand and ran his now-free hand through his hair, hanging his head low. He felt a scream build up in the back of his throat. He took a deep, shaking breath, left to his own thoughts. Katsuya didn't know what ha was doing; he was out of his league, surrounded by men like _Seto_ , who had all the money and the education. He could see it on Seto’s face, that annoying, smug grin that Katsuya just wanted to choke out of him.

Katsuya looked up, and yes, Seto was watching him, but his expression was not mocking. For once in his life, a touch or concern graced his expression. He seemed to be biting the inside of his cheek - biting back a comment? - as he watched, quiet. Everyone was capable of change; if Seto Kaiba could be a C-grade friend, Katsuya Jonouchi could be an A-grade student.

“We should stop,” Seto said, gathering up cards.

“No! I wanna keep going,” Katsuya insisted, though his roommate gestured to a clock.

“I need to make dinner. And no, we aren't ordering food.” He put his cards back in their box and stood, looking down at Katsuya. “Look through the cards and actually _memorise_ them.”

Eh. Some things never changed, Katsuya figured. With Seto gone, he buried himself with tidying up the rest of the cards, putting the mat away. With his own deck back in their box, he sat back down on the couch, flicking through the flashcards.

He couldn't help but be amazed by Seto’s handwriting. He always imagined it would be neat, but never this neat, he thought, as he trailed his fingers along the colourful ink. Who knew he wrote in colours that weren't plain black, either. Katsuya sure didn't. He kept finding out little things about Seto, and some more major things, too.

Maybe, just maybe, Katsuya stood a chance at making a true, good friend out of Seto. Even if he was a jerk, even if his cooking wasn't the best, he was trying. Katsuya smiled softly to himself as he thought about it.

It didn't feel like long before Seto poked his head out of the kitchen door to let him know dinner was ready, and Katsuya practically fell out of his seat. Man, was he ready for food.

After food was done, and after he had washed up, Katsuya sat back down on the couch next to Seto, who had already settled himself down with the laptop. He was tapping away, hardly aware of his roommate, until he spoke.

“Yo, Kaiba, move your laptop a sec.”

Seto, though confused, complied, lifting his laptop up, and immediately regretted it. In a swift, smooth motion, he brought his legs up and over Seto’s lap, small of his back against the armrest. He flicked through his flashcards idly again, like he had not just intruded completely on Seto’s personal space.

“What do you think you're doing?” Seto asked, glaring over at him.

“Looking through my cards.” He didn't know whether to be impressed or even more infuriated by how casual Katsuya was.

“Are you going to move?”

Katsuya scoffed. “No.”

Seto had options. He could have put his laptop down on the arm of the chair and shoved him off, but he could see that smashing, and frankly, he wasn't a big fan of that. Or, he could have yelled at Katsuya, starting yet another pointless argument that would send them back to square one. Just because Seto had options, It didn't mean he had _good_ ones.

“It's like we're an old married couple,” Katsuya mused.

“If you ever say that again, I won't hesitate to turn your legs into a pretzel.”

Katsuya laughed, settling down comfortably, knowing if Seto wanted him gone that badly, he would have pushed harder. Seto put his laptop on Katsuya’s shins as he went back to work. This felt oddly comfortable, like he was at home, and Seto couldn't remember the last time he felt so at peace with someone who wasn't Mokuba.

He pushed out his own thoughts again, going back to work, and pretending Katsuya wasn't laying over him. He had to admit, he was enjoying the peace, and the relationship they had formed. Seto had become rather fond of Katsuya, he realised, though perhaps not in the way he had hoped.

“Kaiba.” Thank God, Katsuya was going to save him from his own thoughts, before he ran too far with them. “I just wanna say thanks for helping me out.”

Though he wasn't doing it for the thanks, and did not expect it, Seto felt quite happy to be thanked. A bit of appreciation went a long way, he supposed.

“Do you really think a medical degree is the best idea?” Seto asked.

Katsuya leaned over, putting the cards down. Looks like they were finally going to talk about this. “Probably not, I know, I'm not smart enough for this. I've heard it all before.” He rolled his eyes. “But I wanna make Shizuka proud, you know?”

Shizuka. Seto could only assume that was Katsuya’s sister, but he didn't question it. Katsuya gently moved his leg, making Seto move his laptop again and allowing him to shuffle down, legs dangling over the armrest and his head where the small of his back was. He folded his hands over his chest, in a way that reminded Seto of therapy. Without another word, he closed his laptop, barely able to reach down and put it down carefully. Why didn't he just do that in the first place?

Katsuya sighed softly. “It's…” He swallowed hard, staring up at the ceiling as if there was a TV up there. “It's too late to save her sight. By the time I found out, there was nothing I could do about it.” His voice was soft, quiet, nothing like Seto had ever heard before. “I don't know. What I want is, maybe, to help work on new treatments, make it more affordable. I don't want anyone else to go through what Shizuka did.” His eyes filtered shut. “Yeah, okay, I know. Make fun of me.”

Seto didn't know what to say. They had known each other so long, and not even once had he imagined they would be so open with each other. Katsuya had been far more open with Seto, but Seto had also started to divulge personal information about his family. Though it wasn't the most comfortable topics, it was strange feeling comfortable enough with each other to talk.

Seto hesitated, before patting Katsuya’s shin and resting his hand there. Physical contact was fine, right? He was asking this while Katsuya had sprawled over him, of course it was fine. As Katsuya made no effort to move away, nor did he tell him to move, Seto took that as permission to stay.

“I wasn't going to make fun of you, Jonouchi,” Seto said reluctantly.

Katsuya laughed, relaxing a little on Seto. Though, he wasn't going to admit that, had he known from the start, Seto would have laughed him out of the building. Katsuya wasn't university material, let alone med student material and, to Seto, it was almost laughable. Or, at least then, it would have been. Katsuya was determined. Hard work and determination only took someone so far, though, if they didn't have the brains to back it up.

He didn't know if Katsuya would make it past the end of this year, and he had no idea what kind of fluke got him into university in the first place. Yet, instead of tearing him down, Seto wanted to help him, for the first time in his life. He wasn't sure whether he was horrified more at his past self for being so hard, or his current self for being too soft.

Seto lost himself in thought, instinctively tightening his grip on Katsuya’s leg. He knew university would change him, but it was changing him into someone he wasn't so sure of. He was so used to being cold, being alone, that he had not considered the possibility of someone else in his life. The more Seto changed, the more he realised; all he had been doing this whole time was mirroring his father's actions. And that was not a good realisation to make, not ever.

“Kaiba?” For the second time that day, Katsuya’s soft voice pulled him from his thoughts. “You're squeezing.”

Seto looked over at Katsuya who was sitting up - when did he sit up - and was now perhaps a little too close. Sensing discomfort, he backed up, bringing his back up against the armrest once again, and Seto almost breathed a sigh of relief. No one ever got that close to him, bar family, and those were the closest people he had in his life. Letting Katsuya in so close…

“I'm sorry. I was thinking.”

Seto did want to say what was on his mind, all of it, without skipping any details, but he couldn't. They just weren't there yet, but then again, Seto also did not owe him an explanation.

“What about? It wasn't because I said you'd make fun of me, is it?” Katsuya frowned. “... I didn't think you'd take that to heart so much, I'm sorry. I forget you're not such a dick anymore.”

Seto did not have low self esteem, sought approval from no one in his life. He cared not for praise, only results. But there was something about the way Katsuya spoke that made him feel oddly better about himself, and he wasn't sure what it was, exactly. A healthy relationship was a foreign concept to Seto.

“It wasn't you,” Seto said.

“And you're not gonna tell me any more, are you?” Katsuya laughed to himself.

“I…” Seto looked down at his hands for a moment, contemplating his options. He was tired, not stupid. “No.”

He shrugged. “Thought not.”

Katsuya leaned over and grabbed his flashcards, flicking through them once again, and it felt like none of that happened. Seto reached down for his laptop, and Katsuya offered no aid, but he managed. Thinking about it, it was strange thinking they were in similar boats; they were both where they were for a sibling.

Seto liked to believe that, had Shizuka been Mokuba, he would have done anything. But then, that was assuming Katsuya didn't already go through hell for his own sister, but surely there was more he could have done. There was always a way, because if there wasn't, neither of them would be in university.

Katsuya looked over his cards, up to Seto, who was focused on his work. His face had scrunched up in concentration, though Katsuya wondered if there was something else. Sometimes, he wished he could just see into his roommate's mind, wishing to know more about him, anything.

He knew his brother, Mokuba, who was a little shit. He knew his father, Gozaburo, a politician known for his charity, which was a stark contrast to Seto. He knew of Noah, and the disagreement between him and Gozaburo. And that was all Katsuya knew of Seto. Though he wanted to know more, he knew pushing him would be futile.

For now, he was content enough to know Seto in other ways that not many others would know. Katsuya knew when he was mad, knew how to make him mad, and knew when he was pleased. He knew when to push, and when not to push. And he also knew when he was tired, even if he tried to stifle his yawns, as it was all in the eyes.

How long had Katsuya been staring into those eyes for? God, they were so pretty. Steady yourself, Katsuya.

“You're tired. Go to bed.” Katsuya sounded light hearted about it, but he moved his legs regardless, allowing Seto to get up.

He wanted to argue, but he had to admit he was running low on energy. “ _Y_ _ou_ also need to sleep. Tiredness will get you nowhere.”

Not that he could talk about tiredness, but he knew how to deal with exhaustion, while Katsuya did not understand true exhaustion. He wasn't about to start comparing, though, as he had better reasons to cause arguments. Seto had a ghost of a smile on his lips when he rose, but by the time Katsuya caught it, it was gone.

Seto got changed and crawled into bed, lying on his back and staring up at the ceiling. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep; he had far too much on his mind, and he wasn't sure what bothered him most. All his thoughts circled around him, vultures, waiting to pick him apart.

Sometimes, he thought, it would be so much easier to let go a little bit. A part of him wished he could be more like Katsuya, but Seto could never be like him. He sighed and rolled over, deciding his best option was to at least try and sleep.

The next few days were of a similar vein. If Katsuya wasn't working, or in class, he sat in the living room, working away on old test papers as practice. If Seto was available, he sat with Katsuya, working on his own things. They could have sat in their rooms ignoring each other, but for some reason, they both felt their focuses slip when apart. Not that they told the other how they felt.

Occasionally, Seto heard whispered curses, and the furious scribble of a pen. He noticed, however, that the scribbling was getting less and less, or Katsuya was just hiding it better. Where it used to be black scribbles all over the page, it was simply a couple of scribbles, once every couple of pages.

Katsuya slammed his pen down out of nowhere, with a loud grunt. “What am I doing?” He laughed. “We both know I shouldn't be here, but here I am, doing a degree I shouldn't be doing.”

Seto stopped writing, looking over at Katsuya. He ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, combing it out of his face, showing off the bags under his eyes. He was an absolute mess, and though Seto tried to make him go to bed, tried to get him to sleep, but Katsuya just wasn't looking after himself.

And if he wasn't, then Seto would look after him.

“Shut up.” Katsuya snapped over to look at him, mouth open to speak, but Seto put his hand over his mouth. “Stop trying to be me, stop overworking yourself. Do you think working yourself to the bone will help you?”

Katsuya sighed. “No.”

“You're killing yourself. Do you hear me? You are not me, you can't do what I do. No one should have to do what I do.” Seto had to quickly distract from that. “Get something to eat. Take a shower. Go to bed. Or you will fail.” He grabbed Katsuya’s latest exam papers, marked and graded. “Look at this. Your grades are fine, and this is you without sleep. We're not talking about this anymore, so you're going. Now.”

How many times were they going to argue about this? As many times as it took for them to listen to each other. This time, Katsuya did listen, surrendering his pen and paper and getting up to follow his orders.

With how hard he was working, there was no way Katsuya would fail and, for the first time, Seto believed in someone who wasn't himself.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STILL! NOT! DEAD!
> 
> How many times will I write that holy shit |D ;; so! Things didn't go to plan with this for a few reasons. Did y'all know this fic is 1.5 years old? I can't believe it. 9 chapters in this amount of time is shocking. There's still more to go, and I do want to see this through to the bitter end. This is my big comfort fic.
> 
> But! If you want to read more of my writing, please do check the rest of my AO3. As things are, I'm going to be busy again with other projects. Sorry!
> 
> I went back a couple of days ago to fix some formatting in earlier chapters etc etc. Also changed the summary! Wahey B)
> 
> Please do leave a comment if you liked it. Comments really do help ♥♥ thanks for your support!

Exam season was like a tornado; it came, it tore everything down, and was quick to go again. Katsuya hadn’t slept, barely eaten, and his nails had been chewed off. Even after his exams were over, it was now the stress of waiting. He couldn’t take it, but at least he wasn’t taking it out on Seto anymore. Baby steps, he figured.

Speaking of Seto, he supposed part of the reason he was calm was thanks to his roommate. Katsuya would have only felt worse if Seto wasn’t so calm about it. Then again, he had nothing to worry about. He was smart, there was no way he would fail. Seto was guaranteed to pass, most likely with the highest grades in his class.

However, Seto didn’t care about simply passing. If it wasn’t 100%, it was a fail; anything less than perfection was failure to him. These were standards imposed on him by his father, but standards he still held in his adult life. He refused to let his stress show, especially to Katsuya, of all people. Instead, he kept to himself, building up his own projects. He came out to cook, among other needs, but mostly he isolated himself.

Despite all this, days passed, uneventful, until results day. The results were posted at eight in the morning, and Seto was already up, his laptop pinging with an email notification. His stomach dropped, and it was hard to swallow. Suddenly, he heard thudding from the other room, as Katsuya rose from his slumber.

Seto was sitting in the living room when he heard Katsuya pound on his bedroom door. “Kaiba! Grades! Get up!”

“I know,” he said calmly from the living room, startling Katsuya, “I've been waiting for you.”

Katsuya ducked back into his room to grab his laptop and charger and ran into the living room, plonking himself on the other couch. Seto's laptop sat open on his lap, ready to look at his grades. The room fell silent, both of them just staring at their screens. Seto finally looked over at Katsuya, who looked frozen in place.

“Well?” Seto asked, waiting for some kind of reaction from Katsuya.

He glanced over at Seto, before letting out a sharp sigh, focus back on his screen. “Dunno. I can't open it.”

Seto couldn’t say anything, as he was in the same position. The email was staring at him, link daring him to click on it. Katsuya looked like he was about to pop a blood vessel, as he fought with himself to just look at his grades. They were stuck at an impasse, and Seto needed to do something. An idea flashed in his mind, and he placed his laptop on the coffee table. Seto didn’t give him a chance to protest.

“Open mine, and I'll open yours,” he instructed.

Katsuya looked up at him, mouth hanging open for a moment, before collecting himself. “Have you lost your mind? No way.”

“No, this is the only way. You can't open yours-” ‘ _and I can't open mine_ ,’ his brain added, “-so we are swapping. You'll know my grades before I do. Don't you want this opportunity to make fun of me?”

Katsuya had to admit, he did want that opportunity to mock his imperfect grades, even if it was unlikely. With a nod, he turned his laptop over and put it on the coffee table, grabbing Seto’s instead. The laptop was new, most likely the latest model, though the keys were already worn. If this was just Seto’s laptop, he didn’t want to see the state of his desktop’s keyboard. He ran his fingers over the smooth surface, admiring how worn--

“Are you stalling?”

Katsuya looked over at Seto, who was staring hard right back at him. How long had he zoned out for? Katsuya gulped, gaze flickering back to the screen. Who knew how scary his roommate could be?

“I'm clicking-” Katsuya hovered the cursor over the link “- now.”

The two clicks echoed through the room, and the room turned silent again. Seto’s laptop was quicker to load up, and Katsuya’s eyes scanned the page. Disappointed, he clicked his tongue. Of course he passed, of course he had amazing grades. Fuck you, Seto. The only thing Katsuya could pull him up on was getting one point off 100%, but that was a pathetic thing to pull him up on.

By the time Katsuya had finished reading, his own laptop had finished loading. Seto looked over his roommate's grades, and had to look again, and again, before it came even close to sinking in. His jaw dropped, brow furrowed.

“Are you stalling?” Katsuya asked, with a small, nervous laugh.

Seto took one last look at Katsuya’s grades, before turning his attention back to his roommate. “You've passed. I don't know how you did it, but you've passed.”

Katsuya paused, eyes wide, and jaw on the floor. He contained himself just long enough to put the laptop down without breaking it, before jumping to his feet. His arms flew to the air, whooping, feeling like he could just cry from happiness. He pressed his hands to his face, trying to bring his excitement down, even if just a little.

Seto placed Katsuya’s laptop next to his own, and extended his hand out to his roommate to shake. But to Katsuya, that wasn’t enough. Instead, he extended his arms out for a hug, and Seto looked horrified. Still, he didn’t attempt to resist the hug, but he stayed frozen in Katsuya’s arms. Seto didn’t do touch, or hugs, but for Katsuya?

Exceptions were made for a reason. It was loose, but it still felt a little suffocating. Seto felt awkward and uncomfortable, staring at the wall in front of him. Eventually, Katsuya would release him, and they could go on like this never happened.

“Thanks, Kaiba. Wouldn’t have done it without you,” he mumbled.

Seto didn’t quite agree with that. He knew Katsuya, knew the determination that lay in his soul. He would have found a way, he would have passed. No, it wouldn’t have been such a good pass, but it would have been a pass. Katsuya didn’t need Seto, and he knew that.

“I’m proud of you, Jonouchi. Congratulations,” Seto mumbled, quiet enough for Katsuya to be unsure of whether or not he said anything.

Seto patted his lower back, in a way that told him he really, really wanted him to let go. Katsuya complied, letting him go. Seto was surprised he allowed himself to be hugged that long, and a little proud of himself for not just shoving him away. He stared at Katsuya expectantly, who tiled his head, before realising.

“Oh! Yeah, sorry. You passed, don't worry. Only one question wrong,” Katsuya said.

“What?” Seto gasped quietly, though composed himself quickly. It did not go unnoticed. “That's not possible.”

Katsuya had never seen that look in Seto’s eyes, something close to fear. Seto blinked, and the look was gone, snatching his laptop from the coffee table and looking at the results for himself. He exhaled, slowly, softly closing his laptop.

“I see.” Seto's words felt cold all of a sudden, back to how he was before, but before Katsuya could say anything, he turned away. “I have a phone call to make.”

Seto tucked his laptop under his arm and went back to his room. He was fine, he kept telling himself, through every step that threatened to give out under him. He managed to reach his room, closing the door behind him softly, and leaning heavily against it. Panicking was fine behind closed doors, but not in front anyone else. Especially not Katsuya.

What a mess. He carefully put his laptop on his chair, allowing himself to now sit at the foot of his bed. It was alright, everything would be alright if he focused. He sucked his breath for seven, held it for hour, out for seven. He repeated the process, over and over again. He tugged at the bottom of his shirt, slowly feeling his grip relax. He was fine, or at least fine enough to speak, now.

He grabbed his phone from his pocket, feeling bile rise to his throat as he found his father in his contacts. The last message he had sent was cold - ‘ _Don’t disappoint me_.’ - but nothing out of the ordinary for Gozaburo. He hit call, and waited for an answer, swallowing the horror creeping in his stomach.

Katsuya was left in the living room, alone and a little confused. The merriment from before had completely vanished, replaced only with a coldness Katsuya was all too familiar with. This was the Seto of the past. However, even in the present, it felt like no matter how much progress they made, Seto would always step back. Katsuya wanted to pull him from his shell completely, but he didn’t even know if that was possible.

A while passed, and Seto was still in his room. Katsuya figured he was working, or he had cornered his professor over the phone about his grades. Knowing Seto, it was likely to be the latter. Katsuya laughed to himself, thinking about Seto. That guy was nothing if not tenacious.

He went to get something from his room and, as he approached, he expected to hear yelling, or at least a hushed, threatening tone. But he didn't hear that, instead all he could hear through the door was muffled conversation. He stood there listening for a few moments, trying to catch something, but he heard _father_ used a couple of times.

Katsuya wasn't going to snoop again, but he wanted to. It just seemed so strange to him, listening to a usually assertive Seto soften on the phone. It worried Katsuya, but maybe he just didn't know Seto as well as he thought he did. Perhaps he just had a softer relationship with his father. Katsuya didn't know.

Soon, noon hit, without word from Seto. Katsuya had walked by a couple of times, making an excuse to himself to get up, but mostly he wanted to subtly check on Seto. He was no longer on the phone, and his room was almost deathly silent. Katsuya grew more and more worried, but he didn't know when he could start showing worry without Seto shoving him away. He was always particular about routines for dinner times, and for him to go off his routine was wrong.

Seto had long since moved to his desk, putting all he had into his projects. If he was working, he wasn't thinking, especially not about his father. He did sound unimpressed-- No, Seto wasn't going to think about it. He brushed away his useless thoughts, focused on his personal projects.

Three loud knocks pounded on his door, the sound echoing in his room. Seto stiffened, taking a breath, before remembering where he was. Of course, he was still at home. He didn't respond, waiting for Katsuya to speak, first.

“Kaiba?” Katsuya called from the other side. Seto breathed a sigh of relief, far too happy to hear his voice. It was helping him calm down, honestly. “You okay?”

Seto took a deep breath. “Yes.”

He wondered why Katsuya was trying to talk to him, when he glanced at the time. Oh. It was past noon now, and he hadn't made food. He had completely screwed up his routine, and Katsuya had to know it by now. This is what happened when he procrastinated too long.

“Okay, good.” Seto knew Katsuya was still there, and waited for him to state his business before going back to work. “I was thinking, you don't feel like cooking right now, so we could go out? If you're not busy.”

Katsuya was probably expecting rejection, and he was right to expect it. Seto wanted to reject him politely, but changed his mind right as he opened his mouth. He knew being alone with his thoughts was a terrible idea, and if Katsuya was willing to hang out, Seto figured it couldn't hurt to _try._

“Give me a minute to get dressed.” Seto was already dressed, he would rather be in fresher clothes, though.

“Seriously?” Katsuya sputtered from the other side. “I mean-- yeah! I'll wait for you, just hurry up.”

If Seto was honest with himself, he knew he didn't really want to go, but he couldn't stay there and wallow in his room. In any case, it was nice to spend more time with Katsuya. He changed into a different outfit and caught himself in the mirror with a frown. Seto took a comb to his hair quickly; he couldn't do anything about the bags under his eyes, but he could at least do that much. He would say Katsuya wouldn't notice anyway, but Seto had been proved wrong before with that.

Katsuya sat on the couch, waiting for Seto to come out of his room. He flicked through his phone, and when he heard Seto’s bedroom door open, he looked over. Something didn't feel right still; Seto felt far too carefully crafted to be okay. Katsuya frowned, realising that this must have happened a thousand times before, and he simply hadn't noticed.

It felt funny, how he could just overlook so many details about the man he called a rival. Funny, but mostly sad. Katsuya could make up for lost time, now. Seto glared at him - even after all this time, his icy stare still sent shivers down Katsuya’s spine.

“Are you going to keep staring, or are we going?” Seto snapped, arms folded over his chest with a frown.

“Yeah, sorry,” Katsuya mumbled, before getting up and putting his shoes on. As soon as the shoes were on, they left.

Seto kept his feelings bottled up well, vacuum-packed and sealed. Though they clawed at him through their wrapping, demanding his attention. But he ignored them, stowing them somewhere safe. His feelings did not exist, and nor did tomorrow, if he just pretended hard enough.

What made it harder, however, was Katsuya watching him every once in a while. Seto felt like he was trying to solve him, like some kind of puzzle. Usually, a glare would make Katsuya stop, but this time, it did not work. This wasn’t helping his current mood much, either.

“You okay?” Katsuya asked.

“I’m fine,” Seto replied, “but I would be better if you stopped staring,” Seto stated.

“Oh, am I…?” Katsuya looked away, embarrassed. “Sorry for staring.”

When they were close to their destination, that was when Seto’s anxiety broke free. This was a stupid idea, and he didn’t know what he was thinking, saying yes. He knew he was in no mood for people. He glanced over at Katsuya, considering making an excuse and leaving, but that would have been too impolite. Seto couldn’t tell him why he had to go, and it wasn’t as if it was terribly pressing, in any case. He was fine, he could hold it together.

Upon arrival, he realised he recognised this place; they had been here when Katsuya got his job. He was nothing if not predictable. Seto thought he would have minded the common places to eat, but in truth, he didn't. It was a nice atmosphere, and the food was decent. He pulled a face. What had living with Katsuya done to him?

They were seated by an over enthusiastic waitress, who quickly took their drinks orders before dashing off again. Seto looked through the menu, and tried so hard not to groan. His stomach wouldn't be able to handle much, especially with his greasy most of the items were. Usually, he wouldn't have minded, but…

Katsuya had finally stopped staring at Seto, but his concern refused to die. Sure, the guy wasn't really talkative, but at the moment, it felt so _silent_. Even when at their worst, they still spoke to each other. Katsuya swirled his drink with his straw.

This was about more than grades. It just had to be, but Katsuya didn't know what, exactly. His father? Gozaburo was a good man, according to rumours. Then again, could one really trust a politician? Katsuya didn't trust any of those fat cats in suits, bar Seto. But that didn't make Gozaburo a bad person, necessarily. Seto was probably putting too much pressure on himself, to the point of freaking out.

He was snapped out of his mental sleuthing when the waitress came back. When Seto ordered simply fries, Katsuya quirked an eyebrow, but said nothing. When the waitress left, the table went right back to silent, with both of them seemingly making an effort to ignore the other. Finally, Katsuya was the one to break the silence.

“You never answered my question,” Katsuya pointed out.

Seto looked over at him. “Which is?”

“Are you okay?”

Seto sucked in his breath quietly. “You're right. I didn't answer.”

Katsuya could deduce Seto was _not_ okay, and he did _not_ want to talk about it. There was nothing worse than feeling alone in this world, though.

“You can talk to me if you need to, Kaiba. Or, if you need anything--”

“I know,” Seto snapped. Then, guilt flashed in his eyes and he softened. “I know. Thank you.”

Seto stared down into his glass of water, watching the bubbles rise from the bottom. It was oddly calming, which at the moment, was precisely what he needed. His hands balled into his fists on his lap, somewhere Katsuya couldn't see.

When food arrived, the mood didn’t improve. Seto picked at his fries, feeling guilty allowing him to pay for this. Surely, there was a way he could pay Katsuya back; he didn’t do debts. It was bad enough being stuck under his father’s boot without adding to it. Maybe he could slip money into his account. He took a sip of water, trying not to smirk. Perfect.

Food, however greasy and however little, did improve his mood. He didn’t want to think about the mood he would have been in if he was at home alone. He appreciated the quiet company, specifically Katsuya’s company. He hummed to himself. Seto never thought he would enjoy Katsuya’s company. There was something about Katsuya that was soothing, and Seto did like that about him.

That did give Seto an idea, though.

“There is one thing I wanted to mention,” Seto said, in between fries. “My father wants to see me tomorrow, so I’ll be in Domino City. You’re free to come with, if you have the time.”

“Tomorrow? That’s short notice.” Katsuya frowned.

But then, he thought about it for a moment. Seto wouldn’t usually invite him; he would tell them the morning of his departure. What was so different this time that he wanted Katsuya with him? It was all connected somehow, and he needed to find out. With how weird Seto was being, it wouldn’t have felt right to leave him to go alone.

“Fuck it, yeah, I’ll come with you. It’ll be fun, I can surprise Yugi,” Katsuya grinned.

Of course, Yugi wasn’t the only thing on his mind with this. If this was Seto’s way of asking him something, then Katsuya knew better than to ask what it was.

He figured that the best way to go about it was to follow Seto’s lead, to pretend this wasn't him asking for help. Seto nodded.

“Good. I'll wake you up in the morning, then,” Seto nodded.

“What makes you think I won't be up?” All Seto needed to do was shoot him a look. “Point taken.”

Still not particularly talkative but feeling notably cheerier on both ends, they finished their food and left the restaurant. Katsuya left a tip - not a large amount, but enough - before they left, hoping the waitress could make good use of it. When they got home, Seto was more than happy to sit in the living room with Katsuya, who spent the rest of the day watching television.

Katsuya still wondered about Seto. He no longer looked like he carried the world on his shoulders, but his posture was still stiff. The last time Katsuya had seen him so tense was the last time they had gone to Domino City, and while the pieces were slowly fitting together in his head, he still couldn’t figure it out. Not quite.

He was close, though, he had to be. Maybe Seto didn’t like going home, for whatever reason. Maybe he got travel sick. _Of course_. Katsuya smiled to himself, proud that he had most likely solved the riddle of a century. He didn’t seem too bad with it, not with Katsuya in the car, and he figured his presence must have settled his stomach.

Eventually, night settled in, and Katsuya grew tired. If he were to rise early, he would have to sleep early. However, somehow, he had managed to wake up at 3am. He looked at the clock and groaned loudly, muttering to himself as he rolled over.

Unfortunately, his body had other plans, demanding water and a piss. Katsuya tried and tried to ignore it, but he couldn’t. With a hiss, he threw the blankets off and shuffled out of the room quietly. His first stop was the kitchen. Through the crack of the door, he saw the light in the kitchen was on. Curious, he poked his head around the door.

“Kaiba?” His voice was soft, hesitant.

Seto was leaning over the sink, cup of cocoa next to him untouched, long having gone cold. He hadn't slept, his body refusing, and didn't react when Katsuya came in. He sighed, weariness escaping with his breath. He didn’t know what to do. He could turn to face him, but that would be allowing the carefully crafted persona to crack, even if just a little. Perhaps it was already too late, though.

Seto gave up, turning to face his roommate. He wondered how he looked, if he looked anything like he felt inside. He hoped not. Katsuya frowned as soon as he laid eyes on Seto. He waited patiently for a few moments, waiting for Katsuya to make a mean-spirited comment about rich people, about how their problems were _nothing_ compared to common people. Whether or not it was the case, Seto didn’t know, but that wasn’t important.

Katsuya took a step closer, slow and careful. When Seto didn’t move, he took another step closer, holding his arms out to him. A hug? Really? Seto wrinkled his nose in disgust, but his roommate remained undeterred. He wanted to reject Katsuya, say something, but his exhausted body was having none of it.

Seto walked closer to him, stopping just in front of Katsuya. He fought with himself for a moment; he could have pushed past him, shut him out again. But he couldn’t, he didn’t want to. Instead, Seto fell into his arms, feeling a warm tingle course through his body as Katsuya’s arms wrapped around him. He closed his eyes, holding Katsuya.

He asked no questions, instead rubbing soft circles into Seto’s back. It was nice to have someone in his life who understood him without words, he realised. Seto relaxed against him, leaning his chin on his friend’s shoulder. Katsuya hummed, holding him just a little tighter.

“Katsuya?” Seto paused, waiting to check he hadn’t crossed a boundary. When he hadn’t, he carried on. “Thank you.”

Katsuya wanted to run a hand through Seto’s hair, reassuring him softly that everything would be okay. This was good too, though. He smiled softly, knowing Seto couldn’t see him.

“Anytime, Seto.”


	10. Chapter 10

Seto didn't sleep that night, but he didn't expect to. He managed to rest, at least, closing his eyes and lying still for a little while. He got out of bed at six, realising that he had rested as much as he could. He would take the first shower, then wake Katsuya, before making breakfast. He would need to apologise for the previous night, as well, but where would he even start? _Good morning Katsuya, my father is dirt_? That was assuming Katsuya would believe him, of course.

Seto was thankful for last night, though. Had Katsuya not woken up, it was likely he would have suffered from a panic attack. Had he not held Seto, he wouldn't have been calm enough to rest. Had he shared a bed with him, would Seto have slept? He gasped sharply, before slamming that thought shut in his head. Those thoughts could stay locked up for the rest of eternity for all Seto cared.

He showered, got dressed, and looked at the time. Seven. Acceptable enough to wake Katsuya, he supposed, without getting his head ripped off. He knocked on Katsuya’s door, three loud knocks, and did not wait for an answer.

“If you're still coming, get up. I'm making breakfast, too,” Seto said.

“Gimme a minute,” he heard Katsuya mumble from behind the door.

Seto left him to it, getting started on food, instead. God, he was tired, and he couldn't sleep on the car ride. He made himself a cup of coffee to accompany food, or else he was sure to pass out quickly, and that was something he wished to avoid, as well. He couldn't remember the last time he had slept well, likely before exam season was in full swing.

Katsuya climbed out of bed and rushed to the bathroom to take a shower. He didn't text Yugi to let him know he was coming, but it was fine. Katsuya could hang out at the store for the day while he waited for Seto, and he just hoped Yugi really would be at the game shop. It was just nice to not be alone in the house, he guessed. Plus, a free ride. What was not to like about it? He finished up in the shower and got dressed, just in time for Seto to finish breakfast.

Katsuya opened his mouth to greet him, but the words died on his tongue when he saw Seto. He looked in need of sleep, not for a day trip to Domino City. This surely wouldn't be a good day for Seto, and Katsuya would have to be kinder, more considerate to his roommate.

“You look like shit.”

Seto frowned at him, rubbing his face. “Just eat your food.”

Katsuya ate, but he did keep a sneaky eye on Seto. He didn't make himself a lot, but what he did make, he made an effort to eat. Mostly, however, he picked at the food, moving it around his plate. Katsuya avoided watching Seto, knowing that would discourage him, and he did try to focus on his own food. He couldn't help but glance up every once in a while, though.

After finishing his breakfast, Katsuya got up and washed up, while Seto was left to get ready to get going. The car arrived as soon as Seto started putting his shoes on, which to Katsuya, was impeccable timing. Katsuya scrambled to shrug his jacket on and shove his feet in his shoes. He noticed Seto was clenching his jaw, far too quiet. Every time they went to Domino, it was like this. Katsuya was curious, but he wasn't going to ask and get rejected.

Seto stared out the window, arms folded over his chest, paying no mind to the other man in the car. Katsuya could almost call him beautiful, even like this, when he was at his most anxious. His attention quickly turned to outside, literally anything that was not staring at his roommate. God, he thought those thoughts would have died down, especially now as they were friends. But they hadn't, and they clawed at him, demanding his attention. Fuck that, he just needed to get a grip.

Time crawled on in painful silence. Katsuya noticed Seto was chewing on the inside of his cheek, fingers pressing into his arm a little too hard. The stupid part of his brain told him to put a hand on Seto’s shoulder, without a word, do _something_. But Seto wasn't the touching type - not usually, anyway - and Katsuya really didn't want to push his luck.

Before Katsuya knew it, his hand ended up on his friend’s shoulder, and he screamed internally. Seto shot him a look, more confusion than anger, though his eyes did narrow. His fingers were no longer digging into his arm. That had to be a good sign. Katsuya nodded at him, squeezing his shoulder, and then released him. For now, his head remained untorn from his shoulders.

Seto didn’t know what to say. He would have liked to say he didn’t make his home troubles that obvious, but after last night? There was no way Katsuya didn’t at least have an inkling, there was no way he was that _stupid_. He wasn’t sure if Katsuya was mocking him, or trying to support him. Though regardless, at least it distracted him from himself for a moment.

“Do you want to be dropped off at the game shop again?” Seto asked, finally casting his attention to his roommate.

“Huh?” Katsuya looked lost in thought - a rare sight. He blinked, a deer caught in headlights, before nodding. “Yeah. Thanks.”

Seto informed the driver of their first stop, then went back to silent. If his father knew he was giving rides to people like Katsuya… well, his father didn’t need to know. There were many things that man did not need to know, and Seto was certain he didn't know. If Gozaburo knew anything about Seto, he would have been pulled out of his apartment straight away. He didn't want to move out; he didn't want to lose the only damn friend he had. If they didn't live together, there would have been no reason for them to spend time together.

Seto did a mental double take. He couldn't believe he was being this pathetic about a guy who would have replaced him without a second thought. He didn't know when he started caring so much; it had creeped up on him, and suddenly, these feelings were there. Seto dug his fingers in his arm again, trying to ignore his own brain. He needed to stop caring so much, for as soon as the year ended, they would go their separate ways. It wasn't that Seto wanted that, but Katsuya certainly would.

Thankfully, his ridiculous thoughts were cut down by the car pulling up at the game shop. And this was where he was going to lose Katsuya, much to Seto’s disapproval. He tried not to let it show, biting back the ridiculous idea of asking him to come with. With how excited he was to see Yugi, it didn’t seem fair. Katsuya unbuckled his seatbelt and shot Seto a smile.

“Text me when you’re on your way back, right?” he asked.

“Of course. I’m not just going to abandon you,” Seto assured him.

It wasn’t that Katsuya didn’t believe him, he just wanted to make sure. He patted Seto’s shoulder and got out of the car, stretching. Ugh, man, he hated car journeys. But once he was faced with the game shop, he felt a thousand times better. He walked in, and it felt like he was home. Yugi was at the counter, flicking through his cards, but he glanced up when he saw Katsuya. He prepared his usual smile to greet a customer, but it faltered when he realised who it was, replaced with a genuine smile.

“Jonouchi!” Yugi said. “What are you doing here?”

“Kaiba’s in town for the day, so he offered me a ride,” Katsuya grinned.

“Oh, um-- I can’t take the day off. Do you mind just hanging around the shop?” Yugi looked disappointed, and maybe he should have mentioned he was coming over, after all. Oh well.

“Sure, I don’t mind. I knew this was gonna happen.”

Fuck. Seto wished he had asked Katsuya to come with him, but it wasn’t an easy thing to ask. He should have just swallowed his pride, but he wasn’t sure what he would have done with him. Katsuya couldn’t join him and his father, and he couldn’t leave him to roam the family home by himself. He supposed he just didn’t want to be alone in that gap between now and being with Gozaburo, and the time between leaving and picking him up. They finally arrived, and Seto sucked in his breath as he got out of the car. He hated meeting with his father, regardless of the subject.

Seto dug his nails into the palm of his hand as he walked, trying to force himself to calm down. He knew his father would be horrible about this. He didn’t bother speaking to Mokuba, knowing Gozaburo would be waiting. Seto knew better than to keep that man waiting. He went straight to his office and knocked on the door. As soon as he received the okay, he walked in and closed the door behind him. The calm, cool facade fell onto his shoulders so easily the moment he stepped in, as it always did.

Katsuya’s day was uneventful. He spent it hanging out with Yugi in his grandpa’s store, talking about cards and helping him with customers. It was a little nostalgic, but at the same time, all of this was only a few months ago. It felt like it had been years since high school ended, since he had moved away from Domino City. Too much change in such a short amount of time, Katsuya guessed, had this effect on someone.

He had told Yugi about his grades, and he was proud of him. If there was one person in this world who always have faith in Katsuya, it was Yugi. Without him, Katsuya would have been done for a long time ago, and he owed Yugi his life. His optimism and faith had rubbed off on Katsuya, clearly, to the point where he successfully befriended a guy he once hated.

The end of the day was settling in, and Katsuya helped sweep up the store while Yugi counted money.  Just like old times, he thought to himself. Sometimes, Katsuya believed he would have been happier with a job like this, but this wasn’t what he wanted.  He brushed the last of the dirt and dust out of the front door, and stretched, a little tired. He put the broom away, just in time for Yugi to slide the cash register door shut.

“What time are you leaving?” Yugi asked. If anyone else asked, Katsuya would have taken that as _please go_.

He pulled his phone from his pocket, and when he realised he had no texts, he groaned. “I don’t know. Whenever Kaiba feels like it, I guess.”

“Do you have time for a duel, do you think?” Yugi asked, smiling a little sheepishly at him, and Katsuya laughed.

“Sure, I’ve always got time for my best friend to kick my ass at Duel Monsters!”

Yugi locked up the store, and the pair went upstairs to the living area. They sat in Yugi’s room, and they set up duel mats on the floor, kneeling down. It certainly would have been cooler to have some kind of hologram projection or something when they played, but hey. That just seemed impossible to Katsuya, for now. Maybe Industrial Illusions ought to up their game, huh?

He knew he was going to lose this game, but it was all about the fun than winning. It certainly would have been a nice change to win, though. He knew Yugi’s strategies inside and out, yet he still couldn’t manage to win, not even once. Yugi was different in a duel, more confident, and it showed. This was definitely his element, and Katsuya certainly didn’t want to take that from him. He was likely just saying that to make himself feel better about losing, though.

“How is it going, with you and Kaiba?” Yugi asked, a little too innocently.

“Great. We can stand to be in the same room as each other,” Katsuya snorted.

He told Yugi everything, usually. Katsuya was aware Yugi had his suspicions - it was no secret between them that Katsuya wasn’t straight - but Katsuya was also aware of his own feelings. He didn’t like Seto that way, he told himself. He was just a friend, a friend he wanted to support. He couldn’t tell Yugi about what they had gone through together, as there was simply no way to explain it without it sounding like he liked Seto. Especially since he didn’t.

But man, when he held Seto that night he found him awake, it felt so strange and warm. Katsuya was no strangers to hugs, he hugged Hiroto and Yugi constantly. Their hugs, however, didn’t leave him feeling so light on his feet. He brushed that thought away. The only feeling he had was compassion for a guy who simply could not sleep, that was it. Unfortunately, he knew Yugi wouldn’t buy any of his explanations. He would smile sweetly, in a way that said _Jonouchi, you’re full of shit, but I still love you._ Ugh.

“You look lost in thought,” Yugi commented.

“Mm? Yeah, just thinking about what move to beat you with,” Katsuya nodded, putting a trap card face down. “You know, Kaiba and I studied with duelling.”

Yugi smiled, and Katsuya gulped. Mistake. He shouldn’t have given him that opening. Yugi flipped over his own magic card, sending Katsuya’s whole side into the graveyard. Shit, fuck, okay, he could totally regroup from that.

“So you guys are getting close?”

“We’re on friendly terms,” Katsuya said. God, he didn’t want to talk about this.

“You sound like a politician avoiding questioning.” Yugi laughed.

“Then quit questioning.”

Yugi was quiet for a moment, pondering on his move. He hummed, staring down at his hand, then placed a monster in defence mode. His resolve was unwavering, and Katsuya was wishing Seto would just text him already.

“You like him.”

That was blunt, especially from Yugi. Blunt enough to shock Katsuya into dropping his cards, fluttering out of his hand and onto the mat. He liked Yugi well enough, but he was regretting saying yes to a duel. This Yugi was more brash, more honest, less likely to sugarcoat. Katsuya was shocked, not because he had made some sort of deep revelation, but rather because he was surprised by the suddenness of his statement. Of course, that’s all it was.

He collected his cards, aware of the pink colour now dusting his cheeks. Good grief, was it always so warm in Yugi’s room? He smiled over at Katsuya, a smile of triumph. He shrunk a little, looking down at the mat, the field, the carpet, _anything_.

“I don’t.” The fact it took so long for Katsuya to answer him would have been answer enough, if Katsuya did like Seto, but he didn’t.

“Jonouchi,” Yugi sighed, placing his hand face down on the floor for a moment. He was a little softer, less cocky, now that the cards were down. “I think… as soon as you told me you liked boys, too, I knew you liked Kaiba.”

“What!” Katsuya barked. He tensed up, but before he could say anything, Yugi carried on.

“I know you don’t want to believe it, because it’s Kaiba. But I’ve seen you talk to him, and I’ve seen how you are with him. I know how you feel about him, Jonouchi. There’s only two people you’re fooling; you, and Kaiba.” Yugi frowned as he spoke.

Katsuya didn’t want to believe it, because it simply wasn’t true. He and Kaiba were friends, that’s it, and it was a miracle they were that much. They were good friends, and it was Katsuya’s hope they would end up being close friends by the end of the school year. Yugi was right about a lot of things, but he wasn’t right about this. He wished he could argue against him, tell him just how _wrong_ Yugi was, but he didn’t know how to prove it.

“I hated him. You know I hated him. I couldn’t stand him,” Katsuya reminded him.

Yugi hesitated, picking his words carefully. “I know no matter what I say, you won’t believe me. You’ll figure it out for yourself.”

Katsuya needed to bite his tongue. He wanted to chew Yugi out, tell him he was wrong, but there was something in him that stopped him. Maybe a small part of him actually believed his nonsense, maybe he just didn’t want to fight. He didn’t want to end his time with Yugi on a fight, not really. His phone buzzed in his pocket and, to his relief, it was Seto.

‘ _I apologise for the delay. I’m about to leave._ ’

‘ _ok thanks ill be waiting outside_ ’

Seto locked his phone as soon as he received the notification, and shoved it into his pocket, before slipping into the car. He didn’t get the chance to speak to Mokuba, spending his whole time with his father. There was always next time, or he could come over again for a weekend. He folded his arms over his stomach, foot on his knee, and nails digging into his arms. He couldn’t wait to get home, away from Domino, his father, everything.

He was fine, on the outside. Inside, Seto’s emotions were an unwatched pot, about to boil over. As soon as he got home, he could lock his door and ignore the world, and just calm down. He didn’t particularly want to speak to Katsuya either, really, but something about him soothed Seto. When he thought about it, he realised that, while he may not have _wanted_ Katsuya, he certainly needed him.

They pulled up at the game shop, and Katsuya was there, waiting as promised. He looked like he had seen the universe, learned its secrets. Seto was curious, and it may have proven to be a welcomed distraction. He waited for Katsuya to get settled in the car and for them to set off before he started his questioning.

“Why do you look like a lost child?” Seto asked.

“What?” Katsuya blinked, focusing on Seto, turning pink. He quickly looked away. “Fine. I’m fine. Just-- Yugi said some stuff.”

“Like what?” He was a little concerned. It wasn’t often that Katsuya was like this.

“I… nothing. It’s nothing.”

Katsuya huffed, leaning back against the seat and looking outside. Right, so Seto screwed that one up. His tone could use some work, evidently. Seto frowned, sighing, casting his attention to the streets flashing by. He couldn’t wait to get home, now more than ever.

The rest of the journey home was absolutely silent. Normally, they would make idle comments, but neither of them felt like speaking, for whatever reason. Seto was just drained, physically, emotionally. He sunk against the seat of the car, just waiting for it to end.

As soon as they got in, Seto kicked off his shoes and stepped into his room, closing the door behind him immediately. Isolating himself wasn’t good, and he knew this, but he never had anyone to talk to about any of this. Even now, he could have talked to Katsuya, but at the same time, he couldn’t. Seto didn’t open up to anyone. But then again, what would it have hurt to try?

Well, to start with, it would have hurt his pride, and his reputation. Seto didn’t want anyone knowing he was weak, especially after last night. He couldn’t even admit to himself that he had weaknesses, how could Seto admit it to Katsuya? Maybe it was finally time to let someone else in, at last, someone who wasn’t Mokuba.

After debating with himself for long enough, he left his room, and peeked into the living room. Thankfully, Katsuya was there, idly surfing through television channels. He hovered for a moment, a little awkward, before clearing his throat. Katsuya dropped the remote, watching it fall apart on the floor. He scrambled to pick up the pieces, before looking over at Seto.

“Do you have a minute to talk?” Seto said, sitting down.

“Uh, yeah. What about?” Katsuya asked, making himself comfortable.

This wasn’t going to be an easy conversation to have, but Seto needed to talk about it. And if he had to pick anyone, he would have picked Katsuya every time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wh-- what's this?? Two chapters in two months?? Am I okay? ... probably not. But at least it's done. Um, hopefully the next chapter should be more exciting? What is it with me and boring chapters ;;;
> 
> Anyway! Don't forget to follow me on [Tumblr](https://vehicroids.tumblr.com)!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was separated because it goes into a little too much detail about abuse; sure, it's not all about that, but it's a good portion of it. If you're not okay with that, please skip to the ending of the chapter.

Seto was silent. He had no idea where to start; confessions were not his thing. Being emotional was not his thing. Being open was definitely not his thing. His hands were folded neatly on his lap, squeezing his fingers together a little tighter than he wanted to. Katsuya, for once, stayed quiet, waiting for Seto to say something.

Seto was never an emotional man, not outwardly. He knew he wasn't far off another breakdown, and if he could help it, he would. Unfortunately, that wasn't how brains worked - one could not strong arm their way into mental health. The least he could do was tell Katsuya what was up, in case it did happen again. Seto swallowed hard. Why was this so difficult?

“My father is not who he appears as on television,” Seto started. “The kind, generous politician on your screens is an illusion and a lie.”

Stunned silence hit the room. Katsuya had a feeling this was the case, not exactly like this, but he knew something was up with his dad. He fiddled with the fabric of his pants, searching for the right words. To an extent, he could understand. Shitty dads were also Katsuya’s thing.

“What do you mean?” The words were uttered carefully, as if stepping on glass. “You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to, but I can listen if you want to talk,” Katsuya said.

Seto did not want to talk about this, squirming uncomfortably in his seat. This was not a good topic, nor a comfortable one. But he couldn't hide it away anymore, as much as he really wanted to. He took a breath, gearing himself up for this conversation. He had thought about how he would talk about it a thousand times, yet now that the time was there, the words died on his tongue.

“What do you think I mean? Use your head, Jonouchi.”

There was a brief flash of realisation in Seto’s eyes as he caught himself snapping at him, for the thousandth time. Katsuya frowned, but said nothing. He wanted to snap back, but he knew damn well it would just lead to an argument, and back to square one. Now was not the time for their bullshit, and for once, he could let this slide. Katsuya, of all people, could understand how difficult this was.

Katsuya shifted in his seat. “I was just trying to get you to talk a little more.”

“I know.” Seto sighed. “I'm sorry.”

Katsuya nodded, understanding. Seto was aware he was stretching he patience thinly, but this just was how Seto was, unable to stop himself from snapping at the one person who cared. He needed to calm himself down, take another deep breath, and try again.

“My father is an abusive, controlling man.” There. A good start. Seto exhaled, soft and a little slow. “Anything below perfection is not good enough. Anything below his expectations deserve to be punished.”

Seto tapped his finger on his lap, agitated. He felt his heart rate rise, making his best effort to keep his breathing steady. He felt panic rise in his chest, a flood he could not control. This wasn’t what he wanted at all, this was exactly what Seto was trying to avoid. He bit the inside of his cheek, hard, grounding himself. Come on, keep it together, Seto.

Maybe he was making it up. After all, expectations were high in Japan in regards to education. His father likely wanted the best for him and Mokuba, as he always did. His breath hitched. Seto was fine with it, fine with everything, as long as it was just him. It was his own fault, he did provoke Gozaburo a few times before. It was his own fault, his own _stupid_ fault. Maybe if he listened a little more--

“Seto?” Katsuya’s voice snapped Seto out of his own head. “Did you hear anything I just said?”

Shit. No, he hadn't. “Of course.”

Katsuya eyed him suspiciously. “What did I just say, then?”

Seto opened his mouth to reply, but he truthfully had no clue what Katsuya just said. “I don’t know.” Now he just felt rude.

Katsuya couldn't get mad, he knew Seto had stuck himself in his own head. He frowned, more out of concern than annoyance. He didn't know what to do for him, but Katsuya wanted to help, somehow. Nothing he could say or do would help, not right now.

“I was saying… this isn't about me, but I can kinda relate. My dad was shitty, just a different kind of shitty. I'm just saying, I get where you're coming from.” Katsuya bit his lip. “I ended up living with Yugi for a year or so, before going to college, because I just couldn’t go back there. So, I get it.”

Seto felt more at ease listening to Katsuya talk, vaguely describing his own situation. It made him feel like he wasn't alone, for the first time in his life. He thought he was going to cry, though. Not in front of Katsuya, never in front of Katsuya - a rule he made for himself. He focused his stare back on his lap, feeling like nothing more than a scared child.

“I see.” Seto curled his hands into loose fists. “I… I can't imagine what you went through.”

Katsuya scoffed. “You don't have to. This isn't about me, anyway.”

He stared at Seto in silence, trying to encourage him to carry on with a strange sort of smile. He wasn't too comfortable still, but was there ever a more comfortable way to talk about this? No. Nothing would make this conversation comfortable, not for anyone involved.

“Fine, if you _really_ want to hear the tragic details of my life, I'll tell you.” Seto clenched his jaw. “I’ve mentioned it before, my father wanted me as a way to push my older brother, but I never clarified on this. Mokuba and I are adopted, and the fact I look like Noah is coincidence.”

Was Seto stalling? A little bit, but it did put things into perspective, Seto thought. He flat out refused to look at Katsuya anymore, unable to manage so much as a glance at him. He didn’t want to see his reaction. One look of pity, and Seto knew he was going to lose it.

“My father, Gozaburo, adopted us young, as a way to manipulate Noah. It was his way of showing him he was replaceable with new children, and that was how he grew to resent me. As I’ve said before, we never got along. I didn’t care much about that at the time.” Seto sighed. “At least he cared about Mokuba.”

That was more than what he could say about their father, he thought bitterly. A fleeting thought passed his mind - how _was_ Noah doing these days, anyway? Ugh, it didn’t matter. His mind was trying any trick in the book to get him from getting to the important details. He needed to push past those distracting thoughts, before he wrapped himself in a distracting tangent.

“Already having one failure for a son, my father was stricter with me, more heavy handed.” His fists tightened. “If it wasn’t him doing the dirty work, it was a tutor. I couldn’t sleep or eat until my studies were done. There were times he had me chained to a desk to study.” He shook his head, disgusted at the memories. “The details don’t matter, unless you want me to sit here and detail it all.” He shot Katsuya a look of _don’t_. He didn’t particularly want to relive his time at the Kaiba mansion, not right now.

Katsuya did not look at him in pity, just stunned silence and horror. He wanted to reach out to Seto, but he knew better. All of this explained a lot; his temper, his attitude. It explained why he never slept, and was so strange about food. It explained so much about Seto that Katsuya didn’t even know what to say. There was only one thing he could say.

“You okay?” he asked.

Seto considered lying, saying he was fine, as he always did. For once, he shook his head. “No. I’m not alright.”

That took everything in Seto to admit, to finally let go enough to say he was _not alright_ . None of this was alright, and he didn’t know if he would ever _be_ alright. All he knew was, in the present, it felt like a weight crushed his chest, his lungs and his heart. He hunched over, a hand winding in his hair. No, Seto wouldn’t cry, but he would come as close to it as possible.

Katsuya fiddled with his fingers, before an idea popped into his mind. He moved off of his couch to sit with Seto, keeping his distance but making sure he was within reach. He placed his hand in the space between them, palm turned upwards. He didn’t expect anything, but he wanted Seto to know he was there for him, without a word.

Seto looked at the hand, then up at Katsuya, who wasn’t looking at him. He was glad, honestly, that Katsuya had the decency not to watch him in his most shameful moment. He hesitated, before placing his hand in Katsuya’s, squeezing softly. He needed this, the soft and silent comfort of someone who understood how it felt. Their situations were different, without a doubt, but Katsuya still understood the feeling.

“Mokuba doesn’t know.” Seto’s voice cracked, just a touch, but enough to notice. “It’s better that way, it’s easier. He shouldn’t have to grow up too quickly. As far as he’s concerned, our father is simply stricter on me.”

Seto knew Mokuba would eventually figure it out, but he would still rather not tell him. Not because he wanted to ruin the image Gozaburo had painted - Mokuba wasn’t terribly fond of the man anyway - but because he didn’t know how Mokuba would take it. Poorly, he assumed, but he didn’t want to find out _how_ poorly.

He brought a hand down over his face, obscuring his eyes. He was pathetic, he felt pathetic. Every part of Seto told him to release Katsuya, and excuse himself to his room. But he didn’t, instead tightening the grip on his friend’s hand. He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment, before uncovering his face, swallowing his feelings. He was fine, he kept telling himself. At least, in this room, with Katsuya, he was fine, because he was _safe_.

“I’m sorry. This wasn’t fair to just pin on you,” Seto said, shaking his head.

Katsuya squeezed his hand. “What are friends for? We support each other, no matter what. You’ve helped me before, so I want to help you, too.”

Seto cracked a genuine, small smile. That was true; he had helped Katsuya study, he had helped him organise himself better. He didn’t do those things to gain something, he did those things because… well, because he wanted to. He did care about Katsuya, and his well being. Seto supposed Katsuya returned the sentiment.

“Would you mind if I asked you for one favour, Katsuya?” Seto asked.

“That depends. What is it?” Katsuya asked.

“Give me a minute.”

Seto didn’t want to let him go, but he had to. He got up and went into his bedroom. Where had he stashed that stupid little thing, anyway? He checked his bottom drawer, and hidden among socks sat a pretty envelope. Even touching it made his stomach turn, nerves bunched in his abdomen. He went back into the living room and handed Katsuya the envelope.

Katsuya shot him a strange look, before taking out what was in there. Inside sat an intricate, pretty invitation. A wedding invitation, to be precise. Katsuya read it, confused. He understood this was addressed to Seto, but he didn’t understand his part in this. He looked over at him, brow furrowed.

“I’m allowed a plus one.” Seto stared at the card, instead of at Katsuya. “I understand it’s short notice, but I’m sure if I asked my aunt, I’m sure it would be fine.”

“Wait, you want me to come with you? To Paris?” Katsuya spluttered.

Seto nodded. “My father will be there. He has asked me to finally bring a girl with me, but as it’s not his function, I’m free to do as I want. I’d rather bring a friend than try to please him.” It was going to blow up in his face, he knew that, but it would blow up in his face either way. It may as well have blown up the way he wanted it to. “I can arrange accommodation, as well.” Katsuya looked like he was about to argue. “A hotel room where we’re going costs more a night than you make in a year.”

“If you don’t want to go, I understand.”

Seto just did not want to go alone, and he felt far safer knowing Katsuya would have been there, too. Even if he wasn’t allowed to attend the wedding, it was a small comfort knowing he would have at least been in the same country. He watched Katsuya’s expression carefully, who was blinking down at the card, expression unreadable. Not the best sign.

Katsuya didn’t quite know how to react. He poked the corner into his fingertips as he thought. He hadn’t ever left Japan before, and it was a little scary. It was-- what, fifteen hours on a plane there? Not to mention how expensive it would have all been. At the same time, it could have been his one chance to go there.

This was, however, a tricky situation. He wanted to be there, but it wasn’t as simple as saying yes. This was a family event, something he was intruding on. Seto’s father would be expecting a girl, not Katsuya. There was enough drama without Katsuya’s presence there. At the same time, however, he felt he couldn’t just leave Seto to go alone. He needed backup, and Katsuya wasn’t about to abandon him like that.

Seto would never say it, but it was clear he needed that emotional support. It dawned on Katsuya that, maybe, this was why Seto asked him to go to Domino City with him every time. This was why he was always so strange during those visits. Katsuya’s lips pressed into a thin line, realisation hard to swallow. He handed Seto the invitation.

“Yeah, sure. I’ll come with you. I have money stashed away, I’ll see about getting a cheap plane ticket,” Katsuya grinned.

“Good,” Seto sighed, relieved. “I’ll call my aunt, let her know I’ll be bringing someone.”

Also, he needed to let her know he was coming in the first place, but Katsuya didn’t need to know that part. Seto had debated with himself before this whether or not he should attend, considering Gozaburo would be there. At the same time, he felt like it was required, so instead of responding, he had put it off. Now, he could not put it off any longer, and now, he was no longer going alone.

“Wait, before I do anything...” Katsuya hummed. “How long are we going for?”

“Not long, a week, I’d say. We aren’t going sightseeing, we are just there for her wedding, after all,” Seto said. Pfft. Way to spoil Katsuya’s fun.

Seto left the room to call his aunt, and Katsuya was left in the living room alone, dumbfounded. Well. That just happened. He got up and grabbed his laptop from his couch, booting it up and going straight to the internet. He had flights to look up. Actually, he should probably tell Yugi what was up, too. In the midst of his search, he typed out a message, then went right back to searching.

‘ _guess whos going to paris_ ’

‘ _What?_ ’

Katsuya snorted. Of course Yugi was going to be confused. While flight searches loaded, he replied.

‘ _kaiba has a rich aunt whos getting married in a couple of months_

_he can bring a plus one_

_im his plus one_ ’

He searched first class first, because apparently he loved to make his wallet cry. When he saw it was over 740,000 yen, however, he realised no amount of extra shifts would be enough to afford this. He grimaced at the page. Oof, okay, go smaller.

‘ _How long are you going for?_ ’

‘ _a week apparently_

 _this is the college kid experience right?? just going on stupid adventures to paris and shit_ ’

‘ _Jonouchi, I don’t think most people our age go on random adventures to Paris_

 _Could it be that this is… a date??? :D_ ’

Katsuya stared at the screen and frowned. Right, okay, Yugi was still clinging to his stupid theory that Katsuya had a crush. On Seto fucking Kaiba. Yeah, right. He rolled his eyes, entering a new search for flights, and replying as the site did its thing.

‘ _no!!! not a date!!! never a date!!!!!!!!!!!_

 _cant a guy ask another guy to go to paris with him out of the blue???_ ’

‘ _Of course they can. They’re usually called dates though :P_ ’

It was not a date! It was just Katsuya trying to help Seto out during a tough time with his father, and his family issues. This was none of Yugi’s business, and thus Katsuya wouldn’t say that. It did irritate him a little, though.

‘ _why is going away so expensive_ ’

‘ _It’s Paris. It’s always going to be expensive. Are you sure you can afford this?_ ’

‘ _i have money dw dw i can pick up extra shifts at work and save up_

 _its fine yugi_ ’

Yikes. 100,000 wasn’t _much_ better, but it was still better than first class. Katsuya didn’t want to ask Seto for money, figuring he had enough to deal with without his roommate asking to borrow money. Besides, he was already paying for accommodation, and Katsuya was no gold digger. He opened up his banking site.

‘ _Wait a minute. A couple of months? The flight prices are going to go through the roof!_ ’

‘ _yeah i can see that right now_

 _but going to paris for a week?? how often does a chance like that crop up?_ ’

‘ _Not very often, but… be careful with money, Jonouchi_ ’

Katsuya logged into his bank. He’d managed to save up a considerable amount of money, but just below the amount for a plane ticket. _Dammit_. He would need to wait until he got paid before getting the ticket, then. He was excited; how many people from school could say they were going to Paris? A lot of girls would have been jealous, especially as he was going with arguably the cutest guy in their school.

Katsuya pulled a face. He never wanted to even think those words again.

‘ _i will_

 _not getting anything til i get paid i swear_ ’

A little disappointing that he couldn’t get it there and then, but not everyone could be rich like Seto. This was the best thing about living with a rich guy, actually, allowing him to save money. No squabbles over rent, he paid for most of the food. Katsuya didn’t pay for that much, and he worked ridiculous hours, which meant extra money. Sure, now he would need to pick up extra shifts for a couple of months, but it would all work out.

‘ _You know, you could go to so many better places as a first date. Somewhere cheaper :D_ ’

‘ _fuck off_ ’

Sometimes, he didn’t like Yugi much. He closed his laptop and went off to sort out his clothes for work the next day. He had a ridiculously early shift, and he would much rather not end up wearing the wrong outfit in a daze. It happened before, and it would not happen again.

He couldn’t stop thinking about Seto, though. He wondered how he was doing, but wasn’t sure whether or not he should have intruded on whatever he was doing in his room. He paused at Seto’s door, fighting with himself. Fuck it, he would only get mad at himself if he didn’t try. He rapped his knuckles on the door gently.

“You okay in there?” Katsuya asked.

How many times had Katsuya asked him this question since they started living together? How many times had Seto lied to him? He had finished on the phone, just about to book the hotel rooms. It was strange; he expected to be filled with dread, but he didn’t feel that horrible pit in his stomach. Maybe he did just need to bring Katsuya with him everywhere, it seemed. Seto scoffed at himself.

“I’m fine. I just wrapped myself in booking for my aunt’s wedding. She said it’s fine for you to come, as well,” Seto said.

What he didn’t say was the part where his aunt squealed in joy. Finally, Seto was seeing someone! Except no, he wasn’t, and Katsuya was just a friend. But it was fine, his aunt wouldn’t tell anyone about his ‘friend’. Seto tried to tell her that there was no need for air quotes, but she was having none of it. Fine, she could believe whatever she wanted. At least it was good to know he could rely on her support if he ever did come out.

“Good. I can’t book the flight or anything yet, but--”

“Katsuya, if it’s a monetary issue, it’s fine. You don’t need to pay for it yourself,” Seto clicked his tongue, knowing too well Katsuya was full of pride.

“No, I get paid on Friday. I can do it then, don’t worry,” Katsuya said. “I’m gonna be there, no matter what.”

“Alright, as long as you’re sure. I’ll be out in a moment.”

Perhaps he could slide money into Katsuya’s bank account when he wasn’t looking. Seto would have paid whatever it took to make Katsuya come with him. He could always downgrade his flight and use the remainder to pay for a flight for Katsuya. Downgrading from first class to business class felt disgusting, but if that was what it took to get him to come with, then fine. Seto simply could not go alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THREE CHAPTERS IN THREE MONTHS WHO AM I??? I'm loving writing these Yugi and Jonouchi moments, I'm not gonna lie. Things are finally getting somewhere, right? :3c I wonder what's gonna happen in Paris. Who knows? Oh. Right. I do. It's funny; I've joined a shit ton of events, and it's only NOW that my brain's like "hey, you know what's good? Something Like Happiness. I should update that".
> 
> Anyway! Don't forget to check out my [Tumblr](https://vehicroids.tumblr.com)!


	12. Chapter 12

Katsuya felt like death. Tips for later - do not take on a shift that ended only an hour before leaving for the airport. He didn't even know if he had everything he needed, and he hoped the lump in his pocket was a passport, and not a notebook. He kept checking, but maybe this time… nope, still a passport. He yawned and stretched, considering falling asleep on Seto.

He wanted to refuse Seto's money as much as possible, but he realised he wouldn't have money for anything else. In the end, he let Seto pay for part of his plane ticket. (What he didn't know was Seto had paid for the whole thing, but he was too tired to really take notice). The rest of his money went to euros, which he really hoped were in his wallet.

“Wish I had the money to spring on first class,” Katsuya groaned.

“I offered,” Seto reminded him.

“And I still don't want your charity.”

Unless that charity involved napping on an unsuspecting Seto, of course. He had his attention trained on a book, oddly calm. Maybe it was just an act. Katsuya frowned, fiddling on his phone, before glancing back at Seto.

“You okay?” Katsuya asked.

“I'm fine.” Seto glanced around, inconspicuous, before lowering his voice. “My father is taking a private jet, along with Mokuba. They won't arrive for a few days, either. I have no need to worry.”

Katsuya whistled. “Ah, to be a rich piece of shit.”

“You're halfway there,” Seto hummed.

Katsuya was almost offended, before noticing the small smile on Seto’s face. He was making a joke - a shitty joke, but it was still a joke. He needed to relax a little, not every comment was meant to offend. He checked his pockets again - yep, the passport was still there. He was bored of sitting around, waiting, but there was nothing else to do. Maybe he should have brought a textbook with him to read. Ugh, what kind of dork did that?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity of waiting, their flight was boarding. This was where they would split; while Seto got the five star treatment, Katsuya would be squeezed in between two strangers for thirteen hours. He already wanted to die. He shoved his backpack in the overhead compartment, before sitting down. With any luck, he would fall asleep.

Katsuya had never been on a plane before, and were he more awake, he would have been more excited. To be honest, he wasn't entirely sure it had sunk in yet that he was going to Paris. What did he do in a past life to be so lucky, anyway? Yes, he worked his ass off for it, but even still, it was luck. He sure wasn't going to complain, though. Thankfully, it didn't take Katsuya long to fall asleep.

Unlucky for him, he only slept for five hours. At least it meant only eight hours remained, but Katsuya was already so tired, and so bored. The people either side of him read books, and Katsuya  _ really _ wished he thought about reading materials beforehand. Why didn't Seto warn him it would be this boring? It wasn't like he could buy a book for the way back, because they would all be in French.

Eight agonising hours passed, wherein Katsuya made his best efforts to try to sleep. Of course, he couldn't go back to sleep. Maybe if Seto was there, it would have been fun; things were more fun with him, even when he just sat there. Katsuya tried not to think about Seto, but somehow, thinking about him made time fly by. Before long, the plane had landed, and the passengers got ready to get off.

Katsuya was so glad to be off that flight, but there was something surreal about landing and it only being 1 in the afternoon, when his body claimed it was 8 in the evening. Oh God, jet lag. He grabbed his suitcase from the baggage carousel, before realising he had no way to contact Seto. Did first class grab their luggage here? Oh shit. What if Seto left without him? Crap, okay, just get through border control and Katsuya would figure it out.

His phone buzzed, and he ignored it at first, until he realised it was a phone call. He answered with a sigh of relief.

“Seto?” he asked, realising he should have checked the caller ID first.

“Yes. Meet me past border control, at arrivals. I'm already there, and hurry up.”

And with that, Seto was gone. Great. Now Katsuya was in a long queue in a busy airport, waiting, with people slyly pushing through. God damn, he already hated Paris. After what felt like 3 hours being crushed into a queue like sardines in a can, Katsuya was finally through. God, he would never travel this far again.

Finally,  _ finally _ , he was free. When Katsuya saw Seto, he almost ran over there and hugged him from relief. He didn't, mostly because he wasn't a fan of the driver standing next to Seto. He glared at Katsuya, who rolled his eyes.

“We can't all be first class,” Katsuya muttered.

“Don't bother being sarcastic, he doesn't speak Japanese,” Seto said.

He turned to the driver and said something in French. The man took their luggage and walked off ahead. Katsuya rose an eyebrow, looking over at Seto.

“Since when do you speak French?” he asked.

“There are a lot of things you don't know about me,” Seto said.

The trip back was quiet; Katsuya was too tired to talk, and Seto didn't exactly feel like talking. It wasn't a long trip there, and before they knew it, they had pulled up to the hotel.

Katsuya gasped softly, almost pressing his face against the car window to get a good look at it. The building was huge, extravagant. Somewhere Katsuya would never stay again, that much was certain. Maybe he could get a sugar daddy, or something.

“Katsuya,” Seto said, “get your face away from the glass.”

He huffed, but did as he was told. As soon as they had parked, Seto went off ahead to check in. Katsuya waited around for the driver to finish unloading the car, making sure nothing was stolen. The man waited around for a while longer, probably waiting for a tip. Katsuya rifled through his pockets, finding a couple hundred yen, and handing it over to the man. The man frowned at him, and got back in his car. Katsuya grabbed the cases and walked off to reception.

The reception area was huge, decorated with reds and golds. In the middle was a frankly unnecessary fountain, filled with change from all around the world. The room was quiet; he heard his own footprints, the rolling of their suitcases, and Seto arguing.

Oh. Seto was arguing.

Katsuya couldn't speak French, but he wished he did, purely to understand this exchange. He approached carefully, trying to somehow catch the gist of the conversation. Now he really wished he spoke French.

“ _ I did  _ **_not_ ** _ misunderstand the website when I booked. I made sure three times that it had two beds _ ,” Seto hissed in French.

“ _ I'm sorry sir, but there is nothing I can do. Every room is booked. I'm sure you could come to an agreement with your partner-- _ ”

“ _ He is not my partner. _ ” Finally, Seto looked over at Katsuya. “There's an issue with our room. There's only one bed.”

Katsuya's eyes widened. Of all the things he thought would happen on this trip, he did not think this would ever happen. He was stunned into rare silence, and Seto pinched the bridge of his nose.

“We have no other options, either,” Seto sighed.

“Look, as long as I can find somewhere comfortable to sleep in, I don't care,” Katsuya shrugged.

Seto was reluctant, but he signed the paperwork to check in. It was not ideal, but this was all they had. He thought it was bad enough sharing a room, but this was something else. Someone took their luggage as Seto was handed the key, and Katsuya yelped in surprise. Ah, the simplicity of common folk. He lead the way to the elevator, and Katsuya had to follow like a lost puppy.

They reached their room, and Katsuya gasped. Just the bedroom must have been the size of their whole tiny apartment, nevermind the rest of the hotel room.They were both relieved to see the bed was huge; they could have shared. The bathroom contained a large bathtub, with an impressive shower.

The first thing Seto did was search for pillows and bedding. He neatly tucked these things under the thick blanket in the middle of the bed, and Katsuya watched him curiously. Seto turned to face him, gesturing to the bed.

“We'll have to share. Both sides are still larger than the beds at home, and I don't mind if you don't.”

Katsuya looked at the bed, raising an eyebrow. Okay, Seto was suggesting sharing, and now he was pretty sure he was still asleep on the plane. He looked over at the nearby couch - it looked too small to fall asleep on, but at least there was no chance of touching Seto. Then again, he kind of did want to touch him. Fuck it.

“Sure,” Katsuya said, placing his things on his side of the bed.

Seto was nervous, but this was why he built the pillow wall. He got to work unpacking his suitcase, leaving his tux to hang in the closet. He frowned, realising he would need to iron it. They had a few days before that would be an issue. Katsuya didn't bother unpacking, instead making himself comfortable on the bed.

“So, we have a couple of days before your dad and Mokuba get here, don't we?” Katsuya asked. Seto was dreading whatever stupid thing would come out of his mouth next  “We could go to Disneyland.”

“No. We're adults.” Who was Seto kidding? He would totally go to Disneyland.

“Which means we have the money to go to Disneyland, buy all the overpriced food we want… come on, Seto. Try to tell me you don't want to go to Disneyland, even though this is probably the  _ only _ time we'll ever be here.”

Seto folded his arms. He didn't even want to argue against him - he knew damn well he wanted to go. Katsuya was right, this was the only time they would both be here. There weren't going to be many more opportunities like this.

“We didn't come here for fun,” Seto said.

“I know,” Katsuya groaned, “but come on, Seto.  _ Disneyland. _ ”

“Repeating it won't make me want to go any more,” Seto clicked his tongue.

Katsuya huffed, figuring that as a no. Fine, he shouldn't have expected Seto to say yes. He watched him unpack the rest of his clothes.

“Fine,” Seto said, breaking the short silence. “We can go.”

Katsuya sat up. “Could it be? Seto Kaiba knows what fun is?”

Seto looked at him over his shoulder. “I'm far more fun than you give me credit for.”

\--

Going to sleep that night proved difficult. Katsuya tossed and turned, but he was painfully aware of the body sharing a bed with him. Sure, the pillow barrier made sure they wouldn't actually touch, but it did nothing for his excited little brain. He wanted to scoot closer, ‘accidentally’ touch,  _ something _ . He struggled to sleep, despite the exhaustion.

He swore he heard Seto whisper his name, and his heart thudded hard against his chest. There was no way Seto would like him enough to dream about him. Katsuya sighed, rolling over. Sleep would take him, one way or another.

Seto woke up that morning from a dream about Katsuya. It wasn't exciting, just a dream he had before. They were laying in the grass, watching clouds together. This time, however, they were holding hands. Why on Earth was he dreaming about Katsuya again? Well, he knew why, but he wouldn't admit it.

He looked over at Katsuya's side, where he was fast asleep. Seto would have to wake him soon, but for now, he could watch him. His face was squished into the pillow, snoring softly. Seto wanted to brush the bangs from his eyes, but he didn't. He got up, and quietly ordered room service. By the time it arrived, Katsuya would be awake.

Before long, Katsuya woke up and they both ate. Katsuya was already too excited, chattering on and on. Seto, being too tired, just let him ramble on. Dressed and ready, their car arrived to take them to Disneyland. Katsuya's excitement refused to die - it was kind of cute.

As soon as they arrived in the park, Katsuya grabbed a map. He unfurled it, pressing it against a wall. He called Seto over, pointing at all the rides they absolutely  _ had _ to do. Seto watched him, amused smile on his face.

“So what you're saying is we must do absolutely every single ride available,” he said.

“Well--” Katsuya laughed, “that's the point. But there's some more important than others. Come on - first stop is Space Mountain.”

Seto opened his mouth to argue, but Katsuya grabbed his wrist and dragged him. He wanted to protest, but how often were they ever like this? He wanted to shift positions, make them hold hands instead. Seto was glad to be trailing behind, else Katsuya may have caught a glimpse of his light blush.

Katsuya led the charge for one reason - he didn't want Seto to see his face burning. He went for Seto's hand, but ended up grabbing his wrist. Dammit. He was surprised he was allowed to hold on for this long without Seto saying anything. He smiled to himself, believing for just a moment that Seto really could like him.

“Is that it?” Seto asked, a little croak in his voice as he saw how tall it was.

“Yep, there it is.” Katsuya looked over at him, a smirk on his face. “Don't tell me you're scared of roller coasters.”

“Of course not.”

The smirk didn't vanish. “Have you ever been on one before?”

Seto paled, and there was Katsuya’s answer. He grabbed Seto's hand between his own, squeezing gently.

“It's okay, I'll be here to protect you,” he cooed mockingly.

Seto rolled his eyes, but Katsuya didn't let go of his hand. If he didn't draw attention to it, Katsuya wouldn't let go. Seto would take this as payment for going on this monstrosity one called a roller coaster. Nerves settled in his stomach like lead, and he hoped his palm wasn't sweaty.

Ugh, who knew Seto had such sweaty hands? Katsuya wanted to let go and wipe his palm, but then he couldn't go right back to holding his hand. Seto probably didn't even realise they were still holding hands. Katsuya wasn't about to ruin a good thing.

They got through the long queue without letting go of each other's hands. Neither of them drew attention to it, carrying on as normal. After about an hour of holding hands, this felt like the new normal. Once they reached the end of the queue, they were forced to let go to get on the ride. Katsuya wiped his palm on his jeans at long last, but he missed holding Seto's hand.

Seto was terrified. He wasn't scared of heights, but rickety contraptions that hurled someone at such a high speed? No. Too many things could go wrong. He wasn't going to tell Katsuya that he was scared, and would sooner strap himself into said rickety machine than be honest. He gripped the restraints tightly until Katsuya looked over at him, and he relaxed immediately. He would not give away that he hated this.

The ride started, and Seto felt every cell in his body beg for freedom. He had been through much worse, but this was something else. He could slip through the bars, something could go terribly wrong. What if the whole thing crashed? Or toppled? Something touched his hand, and he would have freaked out if he didn't realise it was Katsuya trying to help. As they climbed up the first hill, Seto took his hand and squeezed it.

The ride was hell, and that was no exaggeration. Seto hated every part of it. The one good thing was holding Katsuya's hand for the duration of the ride, but as soon as the ride was over, Seto let go. He left without Katsuya, needing a moment to compose himself. He reached the gift shop at the end of the ride and saw himself, white in the face and clinging to Katsuya's hand. Seto heard a wallet open next to him.

“Okay, I need to get that one, no one is gonna believe me,” Katsuya laughed.

Seto frowned. “Do you really need to show anyone?”

“It's not something I'm gonna show off. Just a little keyring,” Katsuya hummed, checking his wallet.

His intentions were both to poke fun at Seto and, well, personal. He handed over the money, and in exchange, he got a little keychain version of himself and Seto. He didn't want to forget the time he had an excuse to hold Seto Kaiba's hand. No one was going to believe it - not even Katsuya could believe his luck. Maybe he would tell Yugi about this in a few years, after his crush died and he inevitably fell out of touch with Seto.

They passed by people in costumes, and Katsuya insisted on stopping for photos. Katsuya amassed a sizeable amount of photos of himself with various Disney characters, with seto in a few of them. He flicked through the photos on his phone, and noticed the soft smile Seto had in every photo. Katsuya smiled at his phone; at least he had some decent photos of Seto.

Seto was dragged along to every ride Katsuya wanted to go on without even a word of protest. He would have thought he would be more accustomed to rides as they went on more and more, but that never happened. His stomach was too unsettled to eat much, while Katsuya ate enough for a whole family. Seto had no idea how he managed.

“You doing okay, Kaiba?” Katsuya asked in between bites of his churro.

“I'm fine,” Seto said. “My stomach is unsettled. I don't think humans are built for roller coasters.”

Katsuya laughed, and Seto smiled for a moment. Katsuya pretended he didn't notice the smile - it used to be so rare to see him happy. Now, it felt more and more common, and Katsuya never wanted to see him unhappy again. Unfortunately, he already knew that was an unlikely wish.

The day came to an end, and Katsuya amassed a small collection of photos from the day, a couple in the form of magnets and keychains. From the photos Katsuya bought, Seto knew he was going to hate looking at their fridge from now on. Katsuya hummed, looking at the pair of key chains he had bought.

“There's only one where you don't look terrified,” he said, holding it out to Seto.

Seto took the little key chain, looking at the photo. It was the only one where one could argue he was smiling, though it was more of a grimace. At least there was one photo that wasn't a complete embarrassment.

“You can keep it as a souvenir from the best roommate you've ever had,” Katsuya grinned.

“Thank you.” Seto placed the keychain in a safe place. “On that point, I've been meaning to ask - what are you doing next year with living arrangements?”

“Huh? Well, I don't know, probably just let myself get assigned a new roommate. Why?” Katsuya asked.

Seto folded his arms over his chest, glancing over at Katsuya, then off ahead. It was something he had been thinking to himself for a little while. Saying it was a different manner, but he was a professional. If they could share a bed, Seto could ask him to move in again.

“I have no arrangements, either. I feel comfortable with you, and I'm not interested in rebuilding a friendship when there's no need to.” Seto tapped his fingers on his arms. “What I'm asking is, would you like to live with me next year?”

“You're asking me, in the happiest place in the world, if I'd live with you again.” Katsuya threw an arm around Seto's shoulder, laughing, squeezing him tight. “Yeah, I'd put myself through this again. I mean, you don't build this sort of comfort with just anyone.”

Seto knew he was right. He normally hated touch from anyone who wasn't Mokuba, but Katsuya was Katsuya. This was a sort of comfort he couldn't build with anyone else. There was a trust and friendship he would find with no one else. Seto put his hand on Katsuya's shoulder as they walked.

“You're right. There isn't anyone else I would be comfortable sharing a bed with.”

“Yeah.” Katsuya squeezed his shoulders again. “No one but you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... three months since my last update. I guess I spoilt you guys with three months in a row with an update :'D ;; Anyway this fic got way out of what it was initially going to be, but in two years, it's hard to stick with the inital plan. Oh well.
> 
> I can't believe we're on Paris part one! Stay tuned for part two, coming out... eventually. Oops lmao
> 
> Don't forget to check out my [Tumblr](https://vehicroids.tumblr.com)!


	13. Chapter 13

The next morning, they finally had the time to enjoy the breakfast the hotel provided. Katsuya didn't mind the food - he would eat anything - it just the drinks the hotel offered that he wasn't sure about. He couldn't read French, but he could hazard a guess. Double espresso? That must have been some kind of coffee. He had his drink, and a plate full to the brim with food. Seto had a more modest plate, but he didn't have Katsuya's stomach.

Katsuya's drink was so tiny, he finished it rather quickly, and soon ordered another one. He didn't drink coffee all that often, so it was a fun treat. Seto frowned at him.

“I wouldn't drink that,” he warned.

“Come on, it's not gonna be poisoned.” To prove his point, Katsuya gulped his second double espresso.

Seto just watched him for a moment, before shaking his head and biting into a pastry. He didn't have to wait long for Katsuya to gasp, clutching his chest. Seto rolled his eyes. Katsuya had done it to himself, he wasn’t going to get sympathy.

“An espresso is a strong, small coffee. A double is two strong, small coffees in one cup.” Seto sipped his own normal sized coffee. “You drank four cups of coffee in one go.”

Katsuya hit his face on the table, groaning, and Seto went back to his breakfast. Seto couldn't help but laugh; Katsuya was so stupid. Who would think drinking that much coffee in that space of time would be a good idea? Clearly, Katsuya did. Most of it was dramatics, Seto knew that, but he didn't doubt the discomfort. He finished breakfast in peace and left Katsuya alone to go for a shower.

That afternoon, his father would be arriving, along with Mokuba. In the evening, the family would be expected to attend dinner with the bride and groom. Seto was told by his aunt to bring his plus one, but he didn't really want to. He didn't want people - namely his father - to get the wrong idea. It wasn't his smartest idea to bring Katsuya to the wedding in the first place. Despite his hesitations, he knew he would be bringing Katsuya along in the evening.

By the time Seto came out of the shower and dressed, Katsuya was fine. He was laying down on the bed, having finished his breakfast in record time. He looked over at Seto with a big smile, and Seto frowned at him.

“Wanna go out?” he suggested. “Come on, there's so much to see.”

“Like what? Do you even know anything about Paris?” Seto asked.

Katsuya scratched the back of his head. “Not a lot, but that's the point. I want to see it.”

“This isn't a vacation,” Seto frowned, “but we have time before we're due to meet with my family. I'll call a car and--”

Katsuya sat up. “Hey, as much as I like fancy shit, I wanna do it the tourist way. Be a commoner with me and take the metro.”

“I'm already common enough by living with you,” Seto scoffed.

That wasn't a no, however, so Katsuya took it as a resigned yes. This may even help take Seto's mind off the thought of his father, as he knew Seto would be in his head about it the whole time. It was a good thing that Katsuya was invited to the pre-wedding dinner that evening - saying that, he would have definitely tried to worm his way into it regardless. Seto was reluctant to invite him, but they both knew he needed to be there.

They arrived at the metro station, getting their tiny little tickets to enter. While Seto went straight through, it took Katsuya a couple of minutes to figure out the orientation of the little ticket. Seto pretended he wasn’t laughing, even turning away to hide it, but Katsuya could see him. Finally, they were waiting for their train, and Seto frowned.

“Alright, I admit it, it kind of smells like piss,” Katsuya said. “What do people do? Just go in a corner and just  _ go _ ?”

“You're being dramatic,” Seto said.

Admittedly, he had a point. This wasn't pleasant, but this is what happened when Seto listened to Katsuya. Maybe they could take a car back, if Katsuya didn't object. It didn't take long for them to get a train, and soon, they had arrived where they wanted to be. Katsuya took a breath of fresh air, grinning at Seto.

“Ah, freedom,” he sighed.

Seto shook his head and kept walking, Katsuya in tow. He had to stick close to him, lest he end up lost in a city where he does not speak the language. Katsuya almost jokingly suggested holding hands to keep close, but he didn't. He did consider just grabbing it, but yesterday was probably a one-time thing.

As they walked, he couldn't help but think about Anzu would have loved to be here. She would have killed Katsuya for the chance to be in Paris, even if just for a few days. Be wasn't just here to have fun, he was also here for Seto. He didn't talk much, likely stuck in his own head. Katsuya flashed him a cheeky smile.

“You know, they say Paris is one of the most romantic cities in the world,” he joked.

“And yet, you're here with me,” Seto mused.

“Is that somehow a bad thing?” Katsuya asked.

Seto paused. “If I didn't know any better, I would think you were trying to flirt.”

“What!”

Katsuya wasn't trying to flirt, but it still came out that way. He huffed, folding his arms over his chest and looking away. He didn't say anything else, just in case Seto misread that as flirting. But it couldn't have been all bad if Seto didn't flat out reject him. Wait, what was he saying? He shouldn’t have even entertained the thought.

The thought of Gozaburo being here soon wasn't what put Seto the most on edge. What put him on edge was Katsuya, and it wasn't even his fault. His family would misread their relationship entirely, especially if they were to find out about the pair's sleeping arrangement. Well, he just wouldn't tell anyone, and leave it at that. With two room keys, no one should really find out.

What wasn't helping was what this place meant - Paris was the city of love. Seto shook his head. What a load of meaningless crap.

***

Seto managed to avoid his family for the entire day. The evening, however, was a different story. He had time to calm down, which he could have done if Katsuya sat still. He was jittery trying to get dressed, chattering about who knows what. Seto didn't care, he had stopped listening about an hour ago.

The attire for this evening was semi formal; it was just a family dinner, and the formal attire would be saved for the next day. Yet still, Katsuya looked like some bum Seto dragged off the street. Well, he kind of was - there was no doubt he would be the poorest person there. He was in front of the mirror, struggling to tie his tie. Seto watched him for a little while, before finally getting up and helping him. Katsuya clicked his tongue, but let him do it anyway.

“Having you around is like having a housewife,” Katsuya said.

“Believe me, if we were married, I wouldn't be the one at home,” Seto scoffed.

“Aw, is that a proposal?” Katsuya asked as Seto was tying the tie. He pulled the knot up suddenly, choking Katsuya.

“You wish.”

With Katsuya finally dressed, the pair met up with the rest of the family. Seto looked around, and he didn't recognise a lot of these people. There were placements for everyone on the tables, and it didn't take long for Seto to find where they would be sitting. Mokuba was to his left, Katsuya to his right. Sitting in front of them, of course, would be Gozaburo and--

“Seto!” a familiar voice greeted. Seto looked up, and his blood ran cold.

“Noah?”

The name caught Katsuya's attention. He looked at where Seto was looking, faced with a man with greenish blue hair. He was dressed in white, a smirk on his lips and a glass of champagne in his hand. Looking at these two, one could easily tell they were related. They even had the same haircut, though Katsuya argued Seto’s was nicer. Seto frowned, and Noah sat down. Katsuya thought it would be best if he left them to it, but a small tug on his pants told him otherwise and he sat down with the brothers.

“So, I know it's our dear aunt's ninth wedding,” Noah hummed, taking a sip of his champagne, “but is it really classy to pick this time for your big coming out?”

Seto leaned back on his chair, arms folded over his stomach. “What are you talking about?”

Noah laughed. “There's no need to pretend anymore, not now that you've brought…” He trailed off, looking at Katsuya. “Ah, excuse me, where are my manners?” He held out his hand to Katsuya. “I am Kaiba Noah, but no doubt my brother has told you all about me.”

Katsuya didn't know an awful lot about Noah. He knew that Seto and Noah didn't get along, he knew that they both loved Mokuba, but nothing else. He wondered if they were ever close, or if this was how they always were. He held out his hand across the table, gripping Noah’s hand and shaking it.

“Jonouchi Katsuya. I don't know who's said what, but this isn't…” He let go, gesturing between himself and Seto. “We're just friends. Roommates.”

“Oh?” Noah leaned in, his chin on his hands. “You don't waste time, do you, Seto? Moving in so quickly with someone.” He looked Katsuya up and down, giving a satisfied hum. “At least you didn't bring an ugly guy.”

“That's enough, Noah,” Seto spat. “Think what you want about me, it doesn't matter to me. But we aren't in a relationship.”

Noah frowned. “Why can't you be honest with me, Seto? You know I won't tell Father.”

Seto could at least believe that much. If there was anyone who hated Gozaburo as much as Seto, it was Noah. It would make no sense for him to make any effort to speak to their father - Noah never told their father anything, even as children, despite their rivalry. Noah reached into his pocket, flicking through his phone. As soon as he found what he was looking for, he placed it down on the table, facing the pair.

They both gulped at the same time. Of course it was the Disneyland photos, though most of them were tame, bar the ones where they were holding hands. It didn't mean anything, they were just friends, but Noah wasn't going to believe it. He watched them, grinning, flashing his teeth. He took his phone back, sliding it in his pocket.

“I told you, dear brother, I can keep a secret. But if people see both of you the way I have, they'll make their own assumptions.” Noah stood up. “Now if you'll excuse me, I'd rather avoid speaking to Father as much as possible.”

Noah rose from his seat, moving over to some other relative. Seto and Katsuya were alone again, with no one in earshot. Seto exhaled slowly through his nose, and usually, Katsuya would put his hand on Seto's shoulder. But they were in public, in a room of Seto’s family. After seeing that, he new it would have been taken as something else.

“You okay?” Katsuya asked quietly.

“I'm fine,” Seto nodded. “It takes more than that to rattle me, and he knows it.”

Noah could have easily been drunk, trying to reconnect with Seto the only way he knew how - blackmail. It was good to know Noah was just as terrible as Seto was with emotions, if this was the case. Seto wasn't letting his guard down, however. His sexuality was a closely guarded secret, to the point where he had not even told Mokuba. He was certain Mokuba had an inkling - he did call him out on his supposed crush, after all.

Oh, who was he kidding? It was no longer  _ supposed _ . The way they were together, well, there was no other explanation. Seto hissed a sigh, looking away. This obviously made things messier between them, but they were adults. Seto could deal with this in a reasonable manner, as he had done over the past few months. Katsuya smiled over at him reassuringly, and Seto nodded. He knew how to hide his feelings.

Not long after that, he heard an excited yell of “Seto!”, before getting attacked with a hug. He already knew it was Mokuba, but Seto was still startled. He hugged him back just as tightly. This meant Gozaburo couldn’t have been far behind. He gulped, and he squeezed Mokuba tighter.

“Seto! Did you see Noah’s here?” Mokuba said excitedly.

“I did,” Seto said, a little cold, and Mokuba hummed disapprovingly.

“You guys still can't get along, huh?” he sighed. “Well, we'll all be sitting together again, just like a family.” Mokuba let go, about to run off again, before noticing Katsuya. “Oh! Jonouchi! I didn't know you'd be here, too.”

He flashed Seto a smile, before running off to mingle with his oldest brother. Seto was dreading this even more than before. Katsuya was about to get dragged into a drama he should have never been involved in. The worst part was, he had no idea what he had just gotten into, blissfully unaware as he sipped his drink.

The family all settled down, meaning Mokuba was at his side, Gozaburo facing him. Maybe with his disowned son at his side, Gozaburo would have focused more on that than Seto. But Seto's luck had ran out, and all Gozaburo could focus on was Katsuya.

“So, you must be Jonouchi Katsuya,” Gozaburo said. There was a moment of silence. “Strange that Seto never told me about you.” He shot Seto an accusatory glance. “Tell me more about yourself.”

He was trying to be nice, but Seto didn't know why. Gozaburo didn't believe in friends, especially not friends for his children. He was looking for an excuse to use this against Seto, and he knew Katsuya would crack under the pressure.

“There's not much to say. I'm just a medical student who was looking for a roommate, and I ended up with your son,” Katsuya said.

Something told Katsuya that he wasn't exactly welcome here. That didn't make him want to go, however. He was there for Seto. Gozaburo glared at him, but Katsuya squared up against him. This upper class asshole could not scare him.

“I wasn't aware my son would associate with delinquents.”

Katsuya bristled. So Gozaburo could look through his permanent record - how classy. He scoffed, leaning his arms against the table.

“When I was a kid? Yeah, maybe I was.” Katsuya fought to keep his voice level, choosing his words carefully. “But I grew up. I am worthy of being with your son.”

Katsuya only realised his poor word choice after he had spoken. Seto dropped his fork, Noah blinked, though the amusement did not fade, and Gozaburo clenched his jaw. This was so much worse. Katsuya was certain Seto was no longer breathing, either. Gozaburo looked like he was about to explode. Mokuba looked at Katsuya in shock.

“I don't allow second rate trash anywhere near myself or my children,” Gozaburo spat, using a tone all to familiar to Katsuya. “I thought Seto would have known better, but I suppose he is no better than Noah.”

Noah frowned, rolling his eyes, while Seto balled his hands on his lap. Katsuya was crashing hard, and he didn't know how to fix this. Sweat formed at his temples, and he swallowed hard.

“This has nothing to do with companionship,” Seto finally piped up. “I had no choice in roommates, and if I had one, it wouldn't have been him.” He stared hard at his father. “However, I believe having connections in the medical field would be beneficial, and Mr Jonouchi is a useful asset.”

Seto spoke with a detached, clinical tone, and it made Katsuya shrink in his chair. He knew not to take it personally - he knew Seto was just protecting both of them - but it made him feel like he wasn’t a person. To Gozaburo, perhaps, he wasn’t. He looked over at Seto, expressionless, before looking back at Gozaburo.

“Pick better company, Seto,” his father said.

Everyone around the table knew that wouldn’t have been the last of it, but for now, things settles. To Seto, there was no better company. Katsuya was his closest friend - scratch that, he was Seto’s  _ best _ friend. He nodded, biting his tongue. He felt sick, bile rising up his throat. He just wanted to go back to his room, to lie down and pretend his father did not exist.

The rest of dinner was silent and awkward. Seto didn’t eat much, because his stomach couldn’t manage. Not even Mokuba bothered to try and lighten things up, sitting silently beside Seto. No one looked at each other, though Seto could feel the occasional glare of his father. As soon as dinner was done, he made his excuses and left to go back up to his room. It didn’t matter if Katsuya followed or not, he simply couldn’t be with his family right now.

As soon as he reached the safety of his room, he barged into the bathroom and emptied the contents of his stomach. Seto clung to the sides of the bowl, glancing down. Undigested bites of food - lovely. He didn’t bother sitting up, leaning heavily against the toilet. He heard the door open, and though he knew it was Katsuya, there was a little bit of worry that his father had stolen the key.

“It’s just me,” Katsuya assured him. Seto was relieved.

Katsuya grabbed a glass, filling it with cold water water. He could only imagine how Seto felt right now. With the bathroom door opened, he took it as an open invitation to come in. He put the glass by Seto, who didn’t respond. Katsuya didn’t expect him to respond, though.

“You doing okay?” Katsuya asked.

“I’m neck-deep in a toilet, what do you think?” Seto sighed, grabbing the glass. “I’m sorry. Thank you for the water.”

Katsuya frowned. He leaned against the sink, holding onto the rim. Seto was always so cold after seeing his father, but this just made Katsuya wonder.

“Is this why you’re always so defensive?”

Seto looked up at him, confused. “What?”

Katsuya stared up at the ceiling. Tonight was a night of carefully picking words to not cause offence, then. At least Seto knew Katsuya well enough to know when he meant well, and when he meant to be an asshole.

“You’ve always been sarcastic, and you’ve always been an ass. Is it like… I don’t know, a way to protect yourself after everything that happened?”

Seto hadn’t really thought about it before, but Katsuya had a point. “I’m not sure. Maybe you know more about me than I do.” He grabbed some toilet paper to wipe his mouth, grimacing.

Katsuya huffed a laugh. “People have different ways of coping.”

Coping. That word made Seto’s stomach turn again, reminding him of the relationship he had with his father. He flushed the toilet, knowing that being near that mess for any longer would make him puke all over again.

“Then I suppose it’s a coping mechanism,” Seto said. “One you’ve had to deal with and get used to, though.”

Katsuya smiled at him. “Yeah, well, it wasn’t easy. But I’d go through it all over again.”

Seto managed a half-hearted smile, before finally standing up. “I’m going to brush my teeth, then I’m going to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

Neither of them could say they were looking forward to it, but at least Seto wasn’t going to be alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone else remember how this was going to be one part? No? Well, I do. And then this ended up being too long and... and hopefully, the next part should be its own thing. I wanna get it out ASAP, but it'll likely be out next month, which'll mark two years of writing! Holy shit.
> 
> Check me out on [Tumblr](http://vehicroids.tumblr.com)


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